Losing Money to Be a Tycoon

December 11th, Sunday…

The second day of the GPL season preliminaries, IOI's knockout stage.

Zhao Xuming arrived at the IOI Qualification venue early in the morning just like yesterday and urged the staff to adjust the equipment and prepare for the competition.

The four teams had already arrived at the competition venue early today. They had to play a set of 'best-of-five' matches in the morning and afternoon each. The schedule was very tight and the pressure was boiling over.

Originally, the three veteran teams, including SUG, did not have much pressure. The three slots were made for them after all. They could easily bully teams with a weak stomach. They could have qualified no matter what.

The first seeded team could start from the top eight directly. There was still a need to compete for it while the position of the second and third seeded teams could be bought.

However, there was no team with a weak stomach now that FV club had appeared out of nowhere within the four teams to be eliminated. Anyone who did not play well would be eliminated directly. The pressure was instantly felt.

Players were seriously preparing for battle tactics or taking the time to take a short nap to conserve their energy in their respective club lounges. All of them were hoping that they could maintain a better competitive state when the competition started.

At that moment, Zhao Xuming's assistant rushed over with a serious expression.

"Boss Zhao, we've investigated the situation with FV Club!"

"These players were indeed sold to them by the GPL clubs. With Wu Yue's financial resources, he would definitely not be able to afford them. Most likely, they were half sold and half given away."

"What's more, these players are from different GPL teams. There must be someone in the middle to coordinate with them. The boss of FV Club, Wu Yue, does not have that ability."

"Only Tengda's Boss Pei can make these clubs willingly hand these players over!"

"Therefore, we can basically confirm that Tengda is behind FV Club. In fact, Tengda might have already bought this club!"

"I even suspect that SHG and the other clubs went to each club to poach IOI's potential players because of a plan they had all along. It was part of Boss Pei's plan!"

Zhao Xuming's expression turned serious as he nodded slightly. "As I expected."

Ding Gan had already told Zhao Xuming about the suspicious points of FV Club yesterday. However, all of their actions were in line with the rules of the competition. Thus, Zhao Xuming was helpless and could not do anything about FV Club.

However, being helpless did not mean not doing anything.

For safety's sake, Zhao Xuming asked his assistant to quickly investigate the background of FV Club and figure out their true motives.

The assistant was very efficient as well. He had more or less figured it out today.

Zhao Xuming noted it down in his heart and asked, "Is there anything else worth noting?"

The assistant quickly nodded. "Yes, Boss Zhao! According to our staff's intel, a mysterious person wearing a mask came to the competition venue yesterday. He also went to FV Club's lounge! From the way Manager Lu addressed him, he's most likely Tengda's Boss Pei himself!"

The club lounges in the backstage also had staff from the competition organizers around. Pei Qian might be wearing a mask but the way Manager Lu addressed him had already exposed his identity.

Zhao Xuming frowned and looked surprised. "Boss Pei himself? Are you sure?"

The assistant nodded. "Based on the information I have, Boss Pei looks similar to his stand-in actor and is very young. Manager Lu addressed the mysterious masked man as 'Boss Pei' and was very respectful. After coming out of the lounge, Wu Yue left with him very respectfully. He also addressed him as 'Boss Pei'."

"On top of that, I also asked SUG Club's Boss Ding Gan. He met Boss Pei in person and admitted that Boss Pei was indeed at the studio."

"Based on this information, the mysterious person wearing the mask is most likely Boss Pei himself."

Zhao Xuming frowned slightly. "Ding Gan know about this?"

The assistant nodded. "He knows, but he didn't take the initiative to tell us. He only admitted to it when I asked."

"Hmph!" Zhao Xuming snorted. "This Ding Gan seems to be a little upset with the way I handled things previously?"

"Don't worry about him. Just make sure that it is Boss Pei."

Zhao Xuming fell into deep thought.

Boss Pei was here personally?

What was his motive?

Zhao Xuming had an instinctive fear of Boss Pei.

That was because Boss Pei's previous achievements had been too outstanding. GOG had advanced triumphantly, making waves domestically and overseas. It was hard to find a worthy opponent. The upper echelons of Dayak Corporation had also been dealt with without being able to fight back.

Zhao Xuming had been tortured to the point of losing his temper during his simple exchange with Boss Pei. He had unknowingly developed a fear of Boss Pei.

Zhao Xuming began to panic now that he heard that Boss Pei was at the recording studio in person.

However, he quickly calmed down.

"There's no need to panic. He's just an ordinary person. He's not a killing demon. He would only be here to supervise the battle even if he is here. What can he do in our territory?"

The assistant nodded. "Boss Zhao is right."

"Perhaps it's because the outside world has been spreading rumors that Boss Pei has always been elusive. Once he makes a move, he has absolute confidence in winning. What's more, he has never fought a battle without preparation or confidence. That's why we're being paranoid."

"Then, Boss Zhao, what should we do now?"

Zhao Xuming frowned and fell into deep thought.

"I think Boss Pei came to Shanghai personally for two reasons. First, he wanted to spy on the enemy. He wanted to see our arrangements at the venue since it is not accurate to rely on others to convey information after all. He had to see it for himself to confirm the details. Second, he wanted to supervise the battle and cheer on the members of FV Club. He hoped that they would be able to win the qualifiers."

"Therefore, he kept a low profile and even wore a mask when he came alone because he did not want to be discovered."

"He thought that no one would recognize him since he had never shown his face on the internet but did not count for us to catch on to this information unexpectedly! If we can make good use of it, we might be able to make a beautiful comeback…"

The assistant could feel that Zhao Xuming seemed to be hatching an excellent idea. He waited quietly by the side, not daring to interrupt his train of thought.

Zhao Xuming suddenly slammed the table. "I got it!"

"Boss Pei kept a low profile, he did not want to show his face and attract attention. Yet, we'll do the exact opposite and spread the news that Boss Pei came to watch the IOI qualifiers!"

"Find Boss Pei's seat. The director will give him a close-up shot and inform the two commentators in advance to welcome Boss Pei!"

"Then, we'll hire fake reviewers in advance to create hype online. The content is very simple. We'll say that Boss Pei did not watch the GPL league but came to watch the IOI qualifiers instead. This means that the IOI qualifiers were held better than the GPL league. What's more, it triggered Tengda's sense of crisis. This means that IOI is starting to show its power. GOG's dominance in the country is about to be threatened!"

"In short, transfer all of Boss Pei's popularity to IOI's qualifiers!"

The assistant's eyes lit up. "Good plan, Boss Zhao!"

"Boss Pei came all the way to Shanghai to spy on the enemy like an assassin. However, we will welcome him with great fanfare. That would make us look honorable while Boss Pei appears to be sneaky! We'll have the upper hand in terms of breadth of mind and temperament!"

"What's more, Boss Pei is here to watch the IOI qualifiers and not the GPL league. As long as we make an issue out of this, we will be able to steal a large portion of GPL's popularity. It's perfect!"

"I'll arrange it right now!"

The assistant was about to turn around and leave when he was stopped by Zhao Xuming.

"Wait!"

"That's not enough."

"How about this, you make two preparations. FV will fight the second team of Group A as the first team from Group B. We'll know the results before noon."

"We'll not talk about FV Club nor bring the heat to FV Club if they were to win hands down."

"If the FV Club wins with difficulty, they probably won't be able to beat Team A's first team. They won't be able to get the first seed."

"If that happens, we'll expose the relationship between FV Club and Tengda Corporation before the competition starts in the afternoon!"

"We can put it this way: Tengda had schemed and spent a lot of money to build FV Club, but they were still beaten up by our IOI clubs. Highlight Boss Pei's ashen face at the scene."

"Wouldn't that become another wave of popularity and traffic?"

The assistant nodded profusely. "Boss Zhao is brilliant!"

Given the FV Club's personnel configuration, if they obtained the first seed, Zhao Xuming would have no choice but to play dead and not take the initiative to spread the relationship between Tengda and FV Club. However, if FV Club were to lose, Zhao Xuming could kick them while they were down, step on them a few times, and take advantage of their popularity.

Of course, the specifics still depended on the morning's competition situation.

Zhao Xuming was in a good mood and could not help but smile.

"Boss Pei, Boss Pei, you are not omnipotent and flawless. You also show your flaws!"

"I admire your courage to come to the battle alone, but aren't you offering your popularity to me? It would be impolite to refuse such a generous offer. I'll gladly accept it!"

…

At the competition venue.

Just like yesterday, Pei Qian wore a mask and sat in the front to watch the competition.

Yesterday, Wu Yue and Manager Lu had wanted to hold a banquet to welcome him, but Pei Qian had decisively rejected them.

The players of the FV Club had to make use of the time to review the game after the competition, summarize their experience, and then rest well. There were still two more matches the next day, which would consume a lot of energy after all.

Thus, Wu Yue did not insist and only sent Boss Pei back to the hotel.

Perhaps it was because he had changed his environment, or perhaps it was because the competition on Saturday had left some unpleasant memories for Pei Qian. He did not sleep well last night, and he was a little listless today.

However, it did not matter. He would just be watching the competition.

The competition schedule was very full. There would be two sets of 'best-of-five' matches in the morning and another two sets of 'best-of-five' matches in the afternoon. Any team would be eliminated if they lost the two rounds. However, any of the teams would be able to enter the world competition as the first seed if they were to win two rounds.

FV Club was fighting in the first match while SUG was fighting in the second match against the first and second team of Group A respectively.

The members of the FV Club were full of energy and were seriously adjusting their equipment.

The two commentators were warming up the atmosphere, analyzing the playstyles and state of the two teams yesterday, and making predictions about the upcoming competition.

However, at that moment, a camera suddenly appeared above Pei Qian's head without warning. Pei Qian's close-up shot appeared on the big screen immediately!

At that moment, he was casually sitting in the front row with his legs crossed and his right hand on his cheek. His gaze was relaxed and the black mask on his face was rather eye-catching.

Pei Qian could not help but be shocked when he suddenly saw himself on the big screen. He froze as a question mark floated above his head.

?

He panicked for a moment, but he quickly calmed down and did not do anything.

Fortunately, he was prepared and wore a mask!

This was probably a random shot of the audience before the competition. It was no big deal. The entire scene would only last for one or two seconds.

However… Why would they film a man wearing a mask instead of the many cute girls ?

Pei Qian was slightly confused, but he remained calm.

However, he quickly realized that he was wrong.

That was because the close-up seemed to last a little too long. The camera in the air had no intention of moving away to film anyone else!

The audience had obviously noticed this as well, and they started discussing.

Who was this?

This person was not a beautiful lady. What's more, this person was wearing a mask which hid his face. Did the director have to give him a close-up of five seconds?

The two commentators spoke immediately.

"Aye, I see that the director had directed the camera to the audience. Many people might not recognize him. Let us make a grand introduction here: Tengda Corporation's Boss Pei is also present at our competition venue!"

"Boss Pei traveled all the way from Jingzhou to Shanghai despite being so busy. It's obvious how much he loves our competition. Let's give him a round of applause to warmly welcome him!"

Thunderous applause and cheers rang out the moment the emcee finished speaking.

There were obviously staff within that were prepared in advance to provide professional applause. The emcee and the staff cooperated slightly and led the audience to clap together, instantly creating an excellent program effect.

Pei Qian: "What the f*ck…"

At that moment, Pei Qian was very glad that he was wearing a mask. Otherwise, his expression would have been extremely awkward. The live broadcast would have been broadcasted to everyone in the audience and live-stream.

The organizers of the competition were causing trouble!

Pei Qian immediately realized that the organizers had done this on purpose. However, it was not appropriate for him to do anything now. He could only maintain a calm and indifferent expression until the camera above his head moved away.

The director shamelessly filmed for a full ten seconds. However, he finally moved the camera away in pity when he saw how calm and collected Boss Pei was.

However, the close-up shots in these ten seconds had a very good effect. The live-streaming platform of the IOI qualifiers was now filled with bullet screen comments.

"Boss Pei?!"

"What the hell? Tengda Corporation's Boss Pei is at the IOI Qualification Competition? Shouldn't he be watching the GPL? What is he doing?"

"This wave, is the boss going to personally spy on the enemy?"

"And getting caught at the scene?"

"Hahaha, does this mean that IOI's competition is better than GPL? Even Boss Pei doesn't watch GPL?"

"Are you sure this is Boss Pei? How did you recognize him with a mask on?"

"From the hairstyle, clothes, figure, and some other details, it is indeed possible. The organizers of the competition shouldn't make such a low level mistake. They must have confirmed Boss Pei's identity before giving the close-up."

"The GPL club is in an awkward position. We were fighting with all our might here, and in the end, the organizers of the league went to see someone else?"

"SHG: We are about to fight to the death, why did Your Majesty surrender first?"

Similar discussions were taking place in the live-stream and on the forums. Many of these comments were posted by the fake reviewers arranged by Long Yu Corporation. On the surface, they looked like they were teasing each other, but in fact, they had a motive.

Once the saying 'Boss Pei did not watch the GPL but came to watch the IOI Qualification Competition' spread, even if it was actually a form of ridicule, it would also subtly induce the bystanders.

This little episode passed very quickly, but the public opinion on the Internet gradually began to ferment.

The competition between the two teams began, and the audience was soon immersed in the intense competition.

These two teams were already at the top level in the country. It was very exciting for them to fight so well.

FV Club still played strictly according to GOG's gameplay as Pei Qian had requested. They still did not fit in with the usual play styles from the selection of players to the operations of the game.

FV Club and the SUG had a very intensive match in the group match yesterday. The victory was partly due to luck.

Today's opponent had obviously studied FV Club's playstyles last night. They had made certain targets in the selection of players and tactics. Thus, FV Club was having a harder time.

However, even so, the FV Club had no intention of playing a regular lineup. Instead, they continued to follow their previous strategy.

Both sides had been fighting for five rounds. They had originally arranged for two matches to be played in the morning, but the match with FV ended at 11 PM.

…

The assistant walked quickly to Zhao Xuming at the backstage of the recording studio.

"Boss Zhao! Everything has been arranged according to your instructions."

"We have already prepared a few manuscripts. The contents include the relationship between Tengda Corporation and FV Club, Boss Pei's presence at the scene, and so on. We will spread this news in the afternoon, buy hot searches, and hype it up. We will definitely be able to generate considerable popularity on the internet!"

Zhao Xuming nodded in satisfaction. "Yes, very good!"

He watched FV Club's competition in the morning the entire time. They were in a deadlock with the second team in Group A. It was not an easy win.

From yesterday's group competition, Group A's first and second place did not seem to have much pressure. They took things in their stride.

This meant that even if the FV Club managed to win painstakingly and obtained a spot in the international competition, they would definitely not be able to beat Group A's number one team. They would not be able to get the first seed.

Not only that, there was a high chance that they would be beaten up by Group A's number one team!

Since that was the case, he could take the opportunity to reveal the relationship between FV Club and Tengda Corporation. He could step on it and bring IOI a lot of attention.

Boss Pei had spent a huge sum of money to create a team to participate in the IOI qualifiers. Yet, they were still eaten up with him supervising the competition.

Zhao Xuming's goal would be achieved once this news was spread.

Of course, the prerequisite was that FV Club had to lose for the maximum impact.

In fact, Zhao Xuming could also choose to spread the news after the competition ended. However, that would be too late and he would not be able to capitalize on it.

There were four sets of 'best-of-five' matches today. The schedule was too packed. It was almost 12 PM when the first game ended. The later matches could only be postponed.

He estimated that it would be after 10 PM when they finished playing all four sets of 'best-of-five' matches.

Such discussions were timely, and it would take some time for them to ferment. It would be late at night by the time the competition ended which would impair the effect of the spread and would not attract a lot of attention and traffic.

On the contrary, by spreading the news in the afternoon, everyone would pay attention to FV Club's competition at night. Long Yu Corporation would then be able to use public opinion to step on Tengda after FV Club was defeated. The timing would be perfect.

Zhao Xuming could not help but to gloat.

It was said that Boss Pei had everything under control. However, wasn't Boss Pei helpless as well when faced with such a situation where he could not control?

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the FV Club was still lacking in strength and could not compete for the first seeded spot. Zhao Xuming was certain of this and wanted to create popularity for IOI by stepping on FV Club and Tengda.

How could Boss Pei turn the situation around under such circumstances?

Zhao Xuming felt that victory was within his grasp.