Pei Qian looked at the final figure on the projector screen and sighed softly. Then, he said to Zhang Yuan, “After the auction ends, bring the bosses who won the slots to the nameless restaurant for a meal.”
Zhang Yuan was stunned. “What about you, Boss Pei?”
Pei Qian shook his head. “I’m not going. I’m tired.”
Zhang Yuan quickly nodded in understanding. “Alright, Boss Pei. Don’t worry, leave it to me!”
Although these people had significantly raised the bids for the GPL slots and had made Pei Qian very angry, everything at the nameless restaurant had already been prepared. If Pei Qian did not invite them there for a meal, the ingredients would go to waste.
Wasting food was definitely not a good thing.
Thus, Pei Qian decided to let them eat there. However, he would not participate anymore.
He could easily imagine what the scene at the dining table would look like.
If Pei Qian was there, he would definitely be hurt twice, thrice, or even four times.
Thus, he put Zhang Yuan in charge of this.
As for Pei Qian, it was best for him to return home and think about how he would spend the hundred million yuan.
He had to stick with the principle that whoever made the money should be responsible for spending it. Since GPL had made the money, re-investing it into GPL seemed to be the best choice.
Yet, should he invest in a GPL’s stadium? Should he increase the publicity of the GPL competitions? Should he nurture the ability of the entire lower-level teams to generate revenue? Or should he create a better training base for the clubs?
There were many avenues to spend money. Pei Qian felt that he had to calm down and think of a plan that would generate the lowest yield.
After giving Zhang Yuan a few reminders, Pei Qian sighed silently and got up to leave.
All the bids had been finalized. All that was left was to sign the contracts and transfer the money.
Lin Chang stood up immediately and shook hands with Li Shi. They exchanged business cards.
The other bosses who had won a GPL slot were also exchanging business cards.
After all, these people were all reputable figures. They had also gathered here out of trust in Boss Pei. More or less, they had commonalities. Thus, it was natural for them to want to get to know each other and expand their social circles.
What’s more, the GPL would have to work together in the future. Everyone’s interests would be aligned.
Lin Chang was naturally the most sought after in the group. He was surrounded by everyone like a moon surrounded by stars.
After exchanging pleasantries, Lin Chang looked around and was stunned. “Eh, where’s Boss Pei?”
He had thought that Boss Pei would definitely be present, but he had disappeared once Lin Chang turned his back.
Zhang Yuan quickly explained, “Everyone, Boss Pei has left because he’s too busy. However, Boss Pei has already decided to host a banquet for everyone at the nameless restaurant. Please follow me.”
Everyone was disappointed to hear that Boss Pei had left.
However, after hearing the second half of that sentence, everyone smiled again.
They could eat at the nameless restaurant again!
They had to admit that, although the food at the nameless restaurant was delicious, it was really hard to make reservations there.
Boss Pei had booked a seat in advance to treat everyone to a meal. That was very sincere of him. Everyone understood that he was busy and had no time to accompany them!
Under Zhang Yuan’s guidance, the bosses who had won the GPL slots happily prepared to leave the DGE Club and head to the nameless restaurant.
The company representatives who failed to obtain anything also left.
The managers of the other two clubs looked ashen. They exchanged looks and glared at Manager Li.
Manager Li was 99% responsible for this mess!
They had been trying hard to think of a countermeasure during the auction, but they could not think of anything.
What else could they do now?
They could only resign to their fates and allow themselves to be slaughtered.
However, before the two managers could settle scores with Manager Li, they saw Manager Li stand up and follow the boss who had bidded for his GOG team.
Manager Li was all smiles. “Boss Fu, I’m the manager of the SUG Club. My surname is Li. I think it’s fate that you won our club’s GOG team and GPL slot.
“Do you think we should exchange business cards? I hope we can work together in the future…”
Before Manager Li could finish speaking, Boss Fu interrupted him politely.
“Manager Li, to be honest, I didn’t understand the inside story either. I obtained your team by accident. I thought that others would raise the price, but no one did. That’s how it ended up in my hands.
“Now, I’ve spent more than ten million yuan and made Boss Pei unhappy. I have to think of a way to make up for it! Do you think I’m losing out?
“Manager Li, don’t pretend to be innocent after taking advantage of the situation. Boss Pei did not go too far because you had supported him at first. He might be unhappy, but he still gave you a chance to sell your team at a profit.
“As for working together… I don’t think there’s a need for that. I’m sorry, but I have to go to Boss Pei’s dinner with everyone else. I’ll take my leave first.”
Boss Fu turned around immediately after he finished speaking. Then, he walked briskly to catch up with Zhang Yuan, Lin Chang, and the others who were about to leave.
Manager Li opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he was left speechless.
…
…
November 7th, Monday…
News of the GPL auction had already spread on the internet. It quickly became a hot search and hot topic on various websites.
“GOG’s domestic league, GPL, has set an astronomical record!”
“The total revenue was 180 million yuan. Will eSports be the next investment opportunity?”
“Shenhua Real Estate obtained a slot in the GPL with a price of 26 million yuan. It has announced its strong entry into the eSports industry!”
“The list of 16 teams in the GPL has been released online. Shenhua Real Estate, Jinding Corporation, Fu Hui Investments, and other companies are among them!”
“The three clubs, including SUG, have been eliminated from the GPL!”
Similar messages came one after another.
There were no official facts in the article. All of them were ‘insider news’ and ‘insider information’. However, there was a lot of information and many sources that could verify one another. Thus, it seemed extremely reliable.
This news quickly sparked heated discussions among netizens!
Most netizens were naturally sensitive to numbers. The figures of 180 million and 26 million instantly aroused their enthusiasm.
Such huge numbers were unheard of in the domestic and international gaming circles!
In the domestic eSports scene, there were no leagues or things like ‘quotas in leagues’. There were only a few clubs in the country. When it came to organizing competitions, organizers could not wait for all the teams to sign up. Naturally, they would not impose any restrictions.
As for spending money to purchase slots, that was even more ridiculous.
Now, the GPL had not even started yet. Yet, the slots to participate alone had already been sold for 26 million yuan. This was a first for the domestic gaming circle.
The companies that had participated in the bidding for the GPL slots were all very famous companies in the country. This helped the onlookers further appreciate the wealth of the GPL.
On top of that, the news of the three clubs being removed from the league also attracted the close attention of the netizens.
“That’s too scary. Other games’ organizers would have to beg these clubs to participate if they wanted to organize a competition. Boss Pei, on the other hand, has already sold off their slots before the first GPL was even held!”
“All the slots have been sold for 180 million yuan. Wouldn’t this be equivalent to football in the future?”
“Equivalent to football? You’re thinking too much. We’re still far from it. Getting a slot at 26 million yuan is not a big deal.”
“But think about it: how long has the football league been developing? How long has eSports been developing? GOG was only born less than a year ago, but it has already become so popular. If we can keep this up for three, five, or even ten years, we might really be able to compete with football!”
“Have you ever seen a game that remained popular for ten years? GOG would definitely not be able to achieve that as well! I think this is another investment opportunity created by capitalism. It would only be live for a year or two, and then no one would be interested in it.”
“What happened to the three clubs including SUG? Did they do something wrong?”
“I heard that those three clubs took the initiative to sell their GOG teams. In the end, they only sold each for less than 15 million yuan! No one knows what exactly happened, but they seemed to have offended Boss Pei…”
“What does that mean? Is that true? Each GPL slot was sold for 26 million yuan, but the slot along with an entire team were only sold for 15 million yuan? Does this mean that each team’s value is negative 10 million yuan?”
“I found out something new today. It’s said that this has something to do with the standard contract that Boss Pei wanted to implement a while ago. These clubs did not want to accept the standard contract, so they worked together to pressure Boss Pei… In the end, it turned out to be their wishful thinking. Boss Pei could not wait for them to leave so that he could find richer companies to back GPL!”
“They deserve it! It’s wrong to use contracts to trick professional players to begin with. Boss Pei tried to give them a way out, but they still didn’t know what was good for them. In any case, the SUG members are still around. They can just change their team’s name and find a better boss. I’ll support this with both hands!”
“To be honest, the domestic eSports environment has always been foul because of those shrewed clubs! Now that Boss Pei has stepped forward to regulate the environment of the entire industry and protect the interests of the players, I think more highly of GPL!”
“Hehe, I don’t think anyone in the remaining clubs would dare to play any tricks under Boss Pei’s nose…”
The netizens had a great time sharing their insider news.
Some praised Boss Pei for being able to easily and efficiently set up something as difficult as an eSports League.
Some were discussing the new rich players who had just joined the eSports industry and were extremely optimistic about the future of the GPL;
Some were studying everything that had already happened and giving those three clubs a good scolding.
Even fans of SUG were furious. They were furiously posting on the club’s Weibo.
On one hand, it had cost 26 million for others to buy one GPL spot;
On the other hand, those three clubs had sold their GPL slot and their entire GOG team for 15 million yuan.
How retarded must they have been to do something like that?
More importantly, while SUG was being scolded by fans and mocked by bystanders, they could not retort or even explain themselves!
How could they?
Who would have thought that things would end up like this?
Those who did not know the truth or understand the twists and turns had only seen SUG selling their GPL slot for 15 million yuan even though it was worth 26 million yuan. They had even lost their entire team.
However, there had been so many twists and turns before that which were impossible to explain.
Even if they said it out loud, no one would think that the club had been taken advantage of. Instead, they would probably think that the club was even more brainless.
Thus, they could only lie down and allow themselves to be mocked. They could not even try to explain themselves.
As for what kind of storm those three club managers would face when they returned, that was unknown.
The only consolation was that they were still young, and it was not too late for them to switch careers.
…
In an office building…
Someone was using his cell phone to browse the latest news about the GPL bid while his computer screen displayed Dream Realization Ventures’ investment page.
He touched the mustache above his lips and muttered to himself, “Tengda’s reputation is that good? It has such strong appeal?
“So many people had responded to their call!
“The GPL hasn’t even begun yet, and we can’t even see any potential for generating profits. Yet, this blank check has attracted more than a hundred million yuan worth of investments.
“What’s even scarier is that everyone is actively boycotting those three clubs. They would rather spend over 20 million yuan on one slot than touch those teams selling for 15 million yuan. All of them can’t wait to send money to Tengda!
“This is unheard of.
“It just so happened that Tengda’s Dream Realization Ventures is investing in social enterprises. I tried my luck and signed up for it, but I didn’t expect to be selected.
“With my ability, if I manage to obtain Tengda’s investment and get other companies to invest…
“Wouldn’t I be able to retire and move out of the country in two or three years?”
