Losing Money to Be a Tycoon

At the same time, 'culprit' Pei Qian, who was far away in Jingzhou, was silently drinking the Happy Fat Otaku Water and thinking about life.

It was winter now and sunrise was relatively late. Pei Qian woke up at five in the morning after setting the alarm. The sky was still dark.

In the end, the three rounds only lasted for one and a half hours. It was 6: 30 am, and the sky was still dark outside!

This BO5 was so fast that the audience felt like "This is it? What happened?"

Pei Qian had thought that FV would be dealt a clean 3: 0, but it was the complete opposite!

Did… something go wrong?

He was already feeling a little dizzy from waking up early. Now that something completely unexpected had happened, Pei Qian even suspected that he was not fully awake and was dreaming.

The next BO5 had already begun in the live-stream but it was obvious that the bullet screen commenters were still immersed in the previous match.

Pei Qian browsed the forum with confusion, wanting to see the netizens' reactions.

The forum was brimming with joy.

"3: 0 and tortured them! That's so satisfying!"

"These European and American teams are still looking down on us? Didn't they refuse to play mock competitions with FV? Are they convinced now?"

"I'm dying of laughter. Is this the veteran European CEM that you bragged about before the competition? Why did it shatter at the first touch? I'll give you all the heroes you like to play, and then smash them to pieces!"

"I realized that FV's mindset is very good. I can clearly feel that the members of CEM were a little upset after the first round. They were not mentally prepared at all and were beaten silly."

"Indeed, it looks like the first round was completely targeted in terms of tactics, but it was the best performance by CEM. The last two rounds were more or less a little self-destructive and deformed."

"It's like a dream. Before the competition, everyone said that it would be 3: 0. Who would have thought that it would really be 3: 0? Let's not say anything else. FV is awesome!"

"I apologize for criticizing the FV Club as trash previously! Now, it looks like they have definitely trained in FV and practiced a lot. Otherwise, how could they improve so quickly in such a short period of time? They even developed the playing style of Chaos Misfortune?"

"That's right, FV is like a completely different team compared to the qualifiers before. It's a complete transformation!"

The idiotic netizens on the forum began to praise him crazily. All the weird and contradictory posts were attacked by the masses. The posts that maliciously stepped on FV before were dug out and repeatedly tortured.

E-Sports was just like that. If you played well, you would be praised; if you didn't play well, you would be criticized. As long as you had results, even if you really had a negative title, you would be able to achieve positive meaning. The teams that could win could do whatever they wanted.

FV Club was not looked well upon before the competition. The team that accepted the challenge was recognized as a strong team, but in the end, they performed so well that it was one-sided. They crushed their opponents at 3: 0. It was not an exaggeration to boast about such a performance.

What's more, many people were so excited because they had been suppressed for too long!

The two teams in the country did not appear in the group stages. The foreign netizens had been spamming "Cn IOI Noob". Coupled with the fact that FV had been exposed for not being able to get anyone to play mock competitions with them, many domestic audiences felt like they could not lift their heads.

On the other hand, FV Club's performance had given the haters a huge slap in the face. It also made all the domestic players feel proud!

Many people were commenting on the internet, wanting to see what the FV team were going to say about them. Many people were also analyzing the post-match review, explaining how the FV was strong in tactics, details, operations, execution, and so on, and why they could win the CEM at 3: 0.

The situation on the field changed rapidly during the competition. Many details could not be noticed.

Most of the audience only had the impression that FV could do whatever it wanted like a humanoid machine. However, they could not figure out why CEM could only take the beating passively without being able to resist at all.

Many viewers on the internet were also criticizing CEM. They said that they had not performed well and that their mentality was rubbish. The key was that they had not even performed 10% of their usual standard in the top eight.

That was normal. After all, it was very difficult to sincerely admit that opponents played well.

However, as professionals analyzed the three rounds of competition, the powerful secret of FV Club gradually surfaced.

From the targeted tactical arrangements of the BP segment, to the players' ability to carry out the competition, to the spontaneous reaction when an accident happened, and finally to strengthen support and seize the map resources to snowball…

The netizens could not help but sigh when they saw the review analysis. FV was so detailed, too detailed!

Countless details were added together, making the opponent completely unable to fight back.

Were the CEM's performances abnormal? There was indeed such a factor. After all, they had been completely beaten in the first round without being able to fight back. It was a heavy blow to the confident CEM before the competition. It obviously affected their mentality for the next two rounds.

However, the problem with their mentality was definitely not the main reason why they lost this BO5.

After reading the review and analysis, most netizens came to a consensus. How was this a problem of mentality? This was a problem of strength. They could not win!

It was not that CEM had not found an opportunity before, but FV was like an iron wall. Their vision and advancement formation were too perfect with them leading in the economic factors. CEM could not find an opportunity at all. Forcefully fighting them would be handing the victory to them.

That was why they had lost the competition in such a sullen manner the entire time. This had nothing to do with their skills. It was a complete crushing of the game's understanding!

All the forums were filled with this joyous atmosphere. No one even discussed the next BO5.

Before this, most people had thought that FV would most likely be taken away by 3: 0, and that there would be a round in the top eight. However, from the looks of it now, as long as they continued with their performance today, it should not be too much of a problem for them to make it into the finals. There was even hope for them to fight for the championship!

At that moment, some netizens realized that FV Club had posted another Weibo post.

The content of this Weibo post was very short: Cn IOI, charge!

On the screen was a sci-fi mech (it was actually the original painting of Mission and Choice). The tail of the mech was spewing pale blue flames, and the entire space seemed to be slightly distorted because it was moving too fast.

The head of the fighter jet had the logo of the FV Club, while the wings of the fighter jet had the logo of the other two domestic clubs.

Many netizens saw that FV had posted a new Weibo post and thought that it was another live Weibo performance such as throwing the CEM into the trash can.

FV's previously mocked all the other teams before competing. Wouldn't they be doing a big mockery now that they had beaten their opponent 3: 0?

However, the content of this post was beyond everyone's expectations.

They did not mock any other teams. Instead, they raised the reputation of the two teams that had been eliminated in the group stages.

The comments below the post immediately increased rapidly.

"FV is awesome!!!"

"Keep winning. We have to see 3: 0 next week as well, understand?"

"The foreigners deliberately teamed up and said that our domestic IOI teams are noobs. Fortunately, you guys were hardworking enough. If not for you guys, I'm afraid we wouldn't have been able to get rid of the label of 'noob' for the next one year. Well done!"

"Hurry, I want to see the new VLOG of my team members!"

"It's not too much for the other two teams to kowtow to FV, right?"

"The last hope of cn IOI, FV, charge for me!"

Domestic players did not particularly like FV Club's performance on Weibo.

That was because the traditional virtues of the countrymen were humble and low-profile. Such flamboyant behavior represented immaturity and was not likable to begin with. They would definitely be held accountable once they lost.

What's more, FV Club did not differentiate between domestically and overseas. They used all the memes that they could use. The Weibo post 'My teammates and I' had indeed hurt the fans of the other two teams.

However, the post after the top eight had completely reversed the public opinion of FV Club!

These three teams that went overseas represented the domestic IOI circle. FV Team did not forget about the other two clubs even though they won. They even arranged seats for them on the wings.

Obviously, FV Club's performance was not targeted at anyone but for the effect of the show.

The other two teams could not fight well. Was there a need to protect them if they could not fight well? That was meaningless.

If they had lost, they would have taken a beating and learned from their shame. That was the right attitude.

What's more, the other two clubs did not treat FV as one of their own. They had never thought of sharing tactics with FV and had not shown any kindness. Since everyone was playing their own games, why should FV care about their thoughts?

The latest Weibo post was FV Club's magnanimity. Not only did it help the other two clubs greatly reduce the pressure of public opinion, but it also slapped the faces of the comments of "cn ioi noob".

Initially, the local players had nowhere to vent their anger. They were all scolding the clubs that had not qualified for the group stages. However, now that FV had won, everyone was praising FV. Naturally, they did not have the mood to continue scolding these two clubs.

On the contrary, many people felt that there was nothing to criticize. They had tried their best, but were not capable enough.

Other than that, no one cursed the photos and VLOG that the FV Club had frequently posted anymore. Instead, they were urging everyone to work harder!

Ever since they arrived in Los Angeles, the three photographers of the FV Club had been taking all sorts of photos and videos to upload on Weibo. There was no shortage of 'late night poison'.

Most people felt sour seeing the FV team members enjoying such a good environment.

Did you go for a competition or a vacation?

However, after winning the competition, this mentality disappeared. Netizens now expressed one after another that it was only right to eat well and stay in a five-star hotel!

He even hoped that the official platform would upload more photos of the players and VLOG so that everyone could better understand FV Club's life and training in Los Angeles.

At that moment, a new post caused a heated discussion.

"Insider news! It's rumored that FV went to Los Angeles and spent the entire time there on their own expense. Long Yu Corporation did not care about them at all!"

"Today, I had a discussion with a friend from a certain club. Many people might be wondering why FV Club went overseas with business class and luxury hotels, while the other clubs did not post these things, not because the other clubs kept a low profile, but because there were some hidden reasons!"

"The official board of Finger Games only arranged for food and accommodation the day before the start of the competition. Therefore, according to the normal schedule, they should arrive in Los Angeles the day before the start of the competition. Long Yu Corporation was worried that the results of the domestic teams would not be good, so they took care of the domestic clubs' food and accommodation for a week in advance from their own pockets so that they could adapt to the environment and play the training competition as soon as possible in Los Angeles."

"However, Long Yu Corporation did not invite FV Club at all!"

"The reason is very simple. FV's team has never been on good terms with the official platform. Everyone knew that FV was the club that Boss Pei invested in during the qualifiers. It was a direct competition with Finger Games and Long Yu Corporation. Both parties had conflicts of interest to begin with, so they did not like FV as the first seed."

"Therefore, although FV Club arrived in Los Angeles a week earlier with the other two clubs, they were completely self-funded. What's more, they did not play any mock competitions with the other two domestic clubs. They were managing everything themselves from food and accommodation to daily training!"

"FV did not accept Finger Games' sponsorship of food and accommodation even after the official competition."

"To be honest, I was shocked when I heard this news. It's a good thing that FV team emerged. If they were really 3-0 because they did not play any mock competitions, they would definitely be flamed as the first seed. I don't think anyone would care about the hidden situation behind this."

"I can only say that FV is good, Long Yu Corporation is biased!"

Once this post was published, it immediately became extremely popular and was repeatedly cited and discussed by netizens!

The news that Long Yu Corporation had brought two clubs overseas for training was insider news, but basically everyone in IOI's E-Sports circle knew about it. It could not be hidden.

Before this, Wu Yue wanted to expose this on the internet but was stopped by Manager Lu. It would not be effective if it was exposed too early since the competition had not started.

Since FV Club did not say anything, others naturally did not feel the need to stand up for them. What's more, FV was not welcomed in the entire IOI E-Sports circle back then. There were too few people who were willing to stand up for them.

However, now that the FV had won the top eight cleanly with a 3: 0 result, these things were very suitable for settling scores later.

What's more, there was no need for Wu Yue to stand up for himself. Naturally, passers-by who could not stand it would expose it.

This post might not have any evidence but the truth was not far off. What's more, it was about to link to some clues in reality.

Many netizens had been looking at FV Club's Weibo and wondered why Finger Games could arrange such a good food and accommodation environment. However, they did not think much about it back then.

There was indeed a problem now that they combined the clues with this post.

It turned out that such good conditions were not arranged by Finger Games at all, but were paid by FV Club itself!

As for where the money came from, was there any need to guess? How could a small club like FV Club be so extravagant? Boss Pei was definitely the one who paid for it!

Tengda was obviously superior to Long Yu Corporation in comparison!

One was petty, one was generous; one was narrow-minded while the other was broad-minded!

The angry gamers immediately cursed Long Yu Corporation.

Who should be responsible if they were to make a discrimination at such a critical moment and cause FV Club to perform badly and be eliminated on the first round of the top eight?

Strictly speaking, these two domestic clubs were not innocent either.

Obviously, these two clubs had not thought of FV Club at all. As a brother team, what if they secretly played mock competitions and provided some tactical support to FV?

This method might seem completely useless with FV Club's strength but the truth was these two clubs did not do anything. This was not a matter of ability, but of attitude.

Obviously, these two domestic clubs stood on Long Yu Corporation's side without any hesitation. They did not treat FV as a brother team at all.

FV Club, on the other hand, chose to repay evil with kindness. After successfully advancing to the top four, they did not complain on Weibo. Instead, they generously uploaded a "take off" photo and brought these two clubs along to announce the victory of "cn ioi".

The difference between them was obvious!

FV Club endured the humiliation and headed to Los Angeles alone. They did not have anyone to rely on, but they still trained hard. They relied on their hard work and sweat to achieve good results.

Of course, had Long Yu Corporation and the other two clubs done something wrong?

Actually, it was completely understandable from a profit perspective.

Long Yu Corporation did not want to give its popularity to Tengda and GOG, so they took their anger out on FV battleteam. The other two clubs did not dare to offend Long Yu Corporation, which was understandable.

However, it was precisely because of this that emphasized how difficult FV Team's victory came by.

As a result, a storm of public opinion was set off on the internet. Players started scolding Long Yu Corporation without any hesitation!

…

Pei Qian was so stunned that he felt dizzy.

What the hell?

All the negative news about FV Club had been reversed!

Even posting pictures on Weibo and the performances had become a hot topic for netizens to talk about. No one was criticizing it anymore!

Occasionally, a few fake reviewers would appear on the forums, wanting to set the tempo. They would be immediately shot down by angry netizens until they could no longer rebuke and were rubbed against the ground.

FV Club's outstanding performance had won over most of the passers-by. Thus, the fake reviewers were now against the wind and were at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers. They could no longer perform.

Pei Qian could not help but sigh. These fake reviewers were still not good at their job.

To be precise, Pei Qian did not care about the attitude of these fake reviewers. They were just some clowns who were making noise on the internet. It was impossible for him to go along the internet to beat them up. Being too calculative would only make him uncomfortable.

Now, the fake reviewers could no longer do anything. Pei Qian felt a little sad for their misfortune and angry at their lack of competence.

How could they take money from Long Yu Corporation without any qualms in this case?

What were all these haters doing? Do something!

Pei Qian was very melancholic. He quietly finished his chips, brushed his teeth, and decided to go back to sleep.

…

At the same time, the FV team members had returned to the backstage lounge, ready to leave the venue and return to the hotel.

Everyone looked excited.

Ever since they arrived in Los Angeles, everyone had been leaving early and returning late every day. Apart from sleeping and eating, they had been focused on training. They had finally won the top eight with a clean 3: 0 now. It could be said that their previous efforts had paid off.

Boss Pei, who was far away in Jingzhou, would probably feel gratified, right?

Wu Yue hugged his team members one by one. "You played too well! However, everyone must be careful not to be arrogant and impetuous. Go back and rest today, and continue training tomorrow."

The team members nodded in agreement.

The next competition would be the semifinals a week later, but no one dared to relax.

Today's competition might have been a crushing victory, but proud soldiers had always been defeated since ancient times. During the World Competition, every team practiced crazily and improved at lightning speed. Their opponents could catch up or even surpass them as long as they relaxed even a little.

Under the protection of the four bodyguards, the team members boarded the minibus one by one and prepared to go back and rest.

Wu Yue hugged his cell phone happily and checked the comments on the domestic forums. He was elated as he watched all the colorful bootlicking of the FV team.

A few months ago, he would never have imagined such a scene: FV Club members became the last hope of domestic players in the international competition. They eliminated foreign players cleanly at 3: 0.

At that moment, the interpreter's phone rang.

After speaking a few sentences in English, the translator turned to Wu Yue and said, "Boss Wu, it's a call from FRY Team. They want to arrange mock competitions with us."

Wu Yue's smile instantly collapsed.

These people still had the cheek to come and ask them for mock competitions?

Previously, FV team had asked a few teams, including FRY Team. In the end, it was as if these teams had discussed it beforehand. They all said that their mock competition schedules were full, and they were not willing to play a single match.

In the end, they wanted to play mock competitions to test them after seeing how fierce the FV competition was today.

Wu Yue chuckled. "Oh, tell them apologies, our mock competition schedule is already full."