Chapter 150: The Whole Internet In Uproar! Utes Established!
Clearlove picked up his mobile phone and saw the message from Wei Shen. He was stunned for a moment, then slapped his forehead hard, feeling instantly awkward.
“Oh no, I forgot about this…” he moaned in a low voice.
Wei Shen had indeed mentioned to him before that he wanted Li Fan to form a PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds team with him. However, at that time, they were in the middle of the Spring Finals, and after winning that, there was the Mid-Season Invitational…
Plus, Abu told him not to rush into it yet, and to wait until the Boss and Li Fan had talked. So, he never had a chance to discuss it with Li Fan…
Then, on top of the championship celebrations, returning to China, and adjusting, he had completely forgotten about it!
Wei Shen must have seen that they were back in China and had waited for a long time before coming to ask specifically.
Clearlove quickly typed a reply to Wei Shen with his fingers.
【My bad, my bad! Really sorry! When things get busy, you tend to forget things, it’s my fault! Don’t worry, tonight I will definitely talk to Li Fan and guarantee I’ll deliver the message! 】
Since there was no movement from the club, it meant it was okay.
Clearlove planned to find an opportunity to talk to Li Fan today.
After sending the message, Clearlove also sent a kneeling emoji sticker to apologize.
This matter was indeed handled a bit shoddily, considering they were trying to poach someone from Hubei to BJ!
At the LGD base, Wei Shen looked at Clearlove’s reply and the apology sticker. He was speechless at first, then couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle.
After Clearlove won the Mid-Season Invitational, he didn’t seem as serious as he remembered.
“This guy… really forgot.” he muttered, not particularly angry, but more amused and speechless.
Based on his understanding of Clearlove, it was definitely not intentional.
【Okay, I’ll wait for your good news. There’s still time, and it would be best if it works out. 】 Wei Shen immediately replied to Clearlove.
In fact, as long as the cooperation could be achieved in the end, even if there were minor bumps in the process, a good outcome was all that mattered.
Wei Shen had a very calm mindset. Ok, after all, he was prepared. If he couldn’t form a team, he would temporarily represent LGD.
After all, no one can get fat overnight; it’s fine to take it slow.
He then turned his gaze back to Li Fan’s live stream on the screen, watching Li Fan’s game character slaughtering enemies in the airport area.
“This guy… he plays everything like he’s cheating.” Wei Shen sighed inwardly.
With Li Fan’s participation, leveraging his skill, experience, and this immense traffic that defied normal understanding, the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds team in his mind was almost halfway to success!
The remaining tasks were to persuade Li Fan and finalize the specific cooperation details.
…
“Someone’s sniping me from the high ground.” Bullets whizzed past. Li Fan calmly moved in a serpentine manner towards the wreckage of a downed plane, raised his gun, aimed, and fired!
The player on the high ground holding a Kar98k was headshotted and fell.
“If you don’t have the skill, don’t try to aim with that 98k. Rifles are better now.”
“So many people want to reinforce? Then let everyone see what a grenade car explosion looks like!” Li Fan saw the approaching jeep, preemptively pulled the pin on a grenade, timed it perfectly, and detonated a precise prediction grenade just as the jeep was about to reach cover!
The rest of the time became his personal show.
Whether it was close-quarters street fighting with hip fire, accurate mid-to-long range bursts, or the psychological warfare in the final circle using terrain and thrown items, he handled it all perfectly.
The audience watched the kill feed on the top right of the screen refresh continuously, completely dominated by the name EDG-Unreal.
Final circle, 1v1.
Even though his opponent was prone in the grass like a groundhog, Li Fan could see him clearly with the 8x scope.
The viewers in the live stream room couldn’t stop laughing.
But some people looked at this scene as if looking in a mirror…
Weren’t they also hiding in the grass in the final circle like this?
*Sob sob sob*… I didn’t expect to see such a mentally broken scene just by watching a live stream.
“Bang!”
【EDG-Unreal used Kar98K to headshot kill lurenjia123】
Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!
The victory sign popped up in the center of the screen, and the kill count on the bottom right froze at a staggering 29!
A 29-kill chicken dinner!
【Holy crap!!!! 29 kills!? I couldn’t even get 29 kills in sixty games! 】
【My god… the slaughter in the wild has begun again. 】
【Killing from start to finish!! Never stopped shooting, this is too satisfying, right? 】
【Came here because I heard about him, Unreal is just too exaggerated! Is this marksmanship real? Why is other people’s marksmanship so good and I’m like a amoeba. 】
【As expected of Unreal! This talent is outrageous… I really didn’t see anyone crouching in that grass. 】
【I’m kneeling, the Demon Lord has descended, no matter what game he plays, he’s the Demon Lord! 】
【I’m increasingly looking forward to the Huya Bounty Tournament, is anyone inviting Brother Fan? If they form a team, wouldn’t they take off? 】
【I don’t know either, which team will he join? It feels like whichever team has him, that team will win the championship. 】
【If EDG club is smart, they should just build a PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds division, right? Why not use this ready-made nuclear weapon? It’s normal to hold professional matches for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds’ popularity… 】
【You’re thinking too much. League of Legends has so much popularity and attention right now, and the World Championship is coming up. Forcing core players into a game with potential for future development is like picking up sesame seeds and discarding watermelons. 】
“You guys are exaggerating. This game is quite simple. If you see someone, just shoot them dead. It’s just a bit tiring to run around the map,” Li Fan said with a smile, looking at the bullet comments.
This again caused a flood of “???” and “Reported!” in the bullet comments.
【You’re not saying it’s easy to win in League of Legends, just push the opponent’s base! 】
【Uh… yeah, you just need to push the opponent’s base to win. 】
Such a humble-bragging statement also caused the viewers in the live stream room to open their wallets and send gifts.
In reality, everyone likes to hear boastful words, but if a disliked person says them, it’s extremely annoying and they have no patience. When a liked player says boastful things, it feels like they are boasting themselves, an indescribable thrill.
The gift list on the side of the screen refreshed wildly, never stopping for a moment.
From the most common “Tiger Grain,” “Blood Vial,” to the valuable “Money Gun,” “Magic Book,” and then “Treasure Map,” they soared into the air one after another, with brilliant special effects covering almost the entire live stream screen.
【Unreal’s little fan gifted a Treasure Map! 】
【Esports Guo Degang gifted 10 Money Guns! 】
【Clearlove’s little piglet gifted 66 Magic Books! 】
【…】
The tide of gifts brought tangible popularity.
The number of online viewers in the live stream room soared like a wild horse, finally steadily breaking a number that astonished everyone: 150,000!
And this was not during the prime time on a weekend, but on a normal weekday morning!
This number of online viewers was enough to crush the peak data of all top streamers…
After winning the Mid-Season Invitational, Li Fan’s influence had reached an unimaginable level.
Such exaggerated popularity and gift revenue naturally alerted the Huya platform officials immediately.
The operations manager looked at the popularity curve on the backend, which was climbing at almost a ninety-degree angle, and the continuously refreshing total gift amount, his face blooming with smiles.
No matter how many League of Legends streamers Douyu had, they couldn’t match Li Fan alone.
You retired professional players will only be slowly forgotten by everyone as time passes.
But as long as Li Fan remains a professional player and achieves results, his fame will only grow. Not to mention the popularity he gains from playing other games…
So, one person being equivalent to a whole platform is not a joke.
“Quick, assign two more supervisors to monitor Unreal’s live stream room, ensuring no technical issues during peak traffic hours.
Also, move up the previously planned MSI champion return special event to my immediate schedule!”
They had been wanting to hold a Mid-Season Invitational champion event before the regular season started.
A live stream…
But they hadn’t thought about what would be good to stream.
After all, with five people, simple team matchmaking wouldn’t be interesting. Five professional players playing together would definitely be a slaughter. It would be best to come up with a show that is very entertaining to play.
Li Fan smiled at the explosive popularity and gifts and said, “Thank you all for the gifts, you’ve spent too much. But watch if you want, don’t let it affect your lives. I’m actually not short on money; I have a salary and the signing fee from the platform.”
“So, as long as you occasionally come to my live stream, my popularity will ensure I keep getting my salary…”
“I can’t say how much my salary is, of course, because it’s confidential.”
The reason why he couldn’t say was very simple…
Because everyone could infer the tier and liquidated damages from the basic salary.
It’s impossible to have a salary of one or two million and liquidated damages of fifty or sixty million.
In this situation, such a contract would not receive legal support…
Therefore, the tier of the salary could determine the amount of liquidated damages.
Clubs with strength would deem it acceptable, and poaching players wouldn’t be impossible.
So, besides the players themselves, no one else knows the club’s salary.
Similarly, the annual salaries rumored online are a mix of truth and falsehood, making it impossible to truly grasp…
Li Fan then played three more rounds of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
Although he couldn’t replicate the 29-kill chicken dinner scene, he performed stably in every round, with kill counts above fifteen, achieving two chicken dinners and one second place.
His fluid operations and clear game sense kept the audience enthralled…
Watching other streamers didn’t offer this kind of show effect.
Even those who cheated didn’t play as fluidly.
It was purely based on his eyes and hearing, and his performance was completely different from how people initially knew where he was.
Over an hour passed quickly amidst intense battles.
Li Fan glanced at the time in the bottom right corner of the computer; it was nearing noon.
“Alright, brothers, time’s almost up. My stomach is starting to rumble. I’m going to go eat some ramen to fill my stomach later,” Li Fan said into the microphone. “My hands are warm from playing all morning, and the harvest is decent.”
In the morning, he gained six hundred and sixty-six learning points.
This number was quite good, as this was just normal live streaming. Achievements like winning a championship that had influence weren’t something that happened every time.
“Don’t rush, everyone. I’ll definitely stream again this afternoon. The specific time will depend on the airplane tickets you receive. Thank you all for your gifts and companionship today, see you this afternoon.”
After speaking, he decisively clicked the button to end the live stream.
After all, if he continued talking, people wouldn’t be able to leave.
The live stream screen immediately turned black, but the people in the live stream room didn’t leave in a hurry; they kept sending bullet comments to communicate.
【Bye bye Brother Fan, see you all this afternoon! 】
【Brother Fan! I command you to smash Clearlove’s balls a hundred times. He seems to have some issues in his thinking lately, not streaming at all. 】
【Time to eat! 】
【Gross! 】
【Let’s continue to slaughter PlayerUnknown’s Island this afternoon! 】
【Phone on the table, waiting for notification. 】
【Watching this stream was so satisfying, full of valuable content! After work, I feel like I’ll be slaughtering too. 】
【Gotta go, end of my slacking off at work, almost got caught by the boss. 】
Although the audience was still reluctant to leave, they all typed farewell words in the blacked-out live stream room.
The heat of the live stream room began to slowly decline but maintained a very high level.
After all, many people felt that other streamers weren’t that good, so they simply kept the live stream room open.
As soon as the live stream screen lit up, they knew Li Fan had started streaming.
Li Fan took off his headphones and stretched. He glanced at Clearlove, who was still playing ranked matches nearby, and walked over to pat his shoulder.
“Brother Kai, I’m planning to go to that Lanzhou ramen place at the entrance to eat a bowl of noodles. Want to join?”
After eating well for the past few days, it was necessary to have a transition before going back to the canteen. Eating ramen was a good choice, otherwise, the canteen would feel a bit overwhelming.
Clearlove instinctively wanted to refuse, as the canteen was convenient… and he had always done it this way.
But as the words reached his lips, he suddenly remembered Wei Shen’s instructions.
After all, the canteen was crowded and full of eyes, making it not a good place to discuss matters. It would be better to use the opportunity of eating to talk to Li Fan.
“Sure, wait for me. This game is about to end, in three or four minutes at most.” Clearlove immediately changed his mind, his hand movements becoming more decisive.
Li Fan leaned against a nearby table, watching Clearlove play.
Sejuani charged forward as soon as she saw someone, without any hesitation. Team fights started easily, and they were already in an advantageous position.
After all, the team with the advantage needs to have the ability to end the game quickly.
If they can’t do that, it will drag on for a long time. However, with Clearlove as the engage player not hesitating and applying pressure, everything became simple.
This way, it ended very quickly.
As expected, within five minutes, the victory message popped up on Clearlove’s screen…
At this moment, a Korean inside typed that if this Sejuani had engaged earlier like this, everything would have ended long ago, and there wouldn’t be such troublesome things.
However, Clearlove couldn’t understand what his teammate was saying, and even if he could, it wouldn’t matter.
It’s just a ranked match… and this is a known flaw.
After all, he played in a more stable and less impulsive manner.
“Let’s go!”
“Brother Kai, where are you guys going to eat? Can I join?” iBoy asked with a smile at this moment.
“At your young age, you’re always thinking about eating well and enjoying yourself. How can this be? You’ll eat at the canteen.”
“Oh…” iBoy was glared at by Clearlove and sat back in his original seat.
Li Fan was only a few months older than him, wasn’t he also young?
But he also understood… Li Fan was now the absolute leader of the team. It was just that his seniority wasn’t enough. If his seniority was sufficient, frankly, Clearlove would have to step aside.
This was why Clearlove called him Brother Fan.
Li Fan and Ming Kai walked out of the EDG base side-by-side. To be honest, the sun was indeed scorching hot, but it was still a bit less than Rio.
Frowning was acceptable, and there was a familiar Lanzhou ramen restaurant next to the base. There weren’t many people at this time, so they found a quiet spot in the back and sat down.
“One bowl of beef fried ramen, and a small bottle of cola.”
Li Fan ordered familiarly, and Clearlove ordered the same.
While waiting for the noodles, Clearlove took a sip of water and decided to get straight to the point.
“Li Fan, there’s something I forgot about earlier due to being busy. I’ll tell you now,” Clearlove rubbed his hands. “You know Wei Shen, right?”
“I know, LGD’s mid laner, the genius prodigy, why mention him all of a sudden?” Li Fan understood what was happening the moment he heard the ID.
After all, according to the current timeline, Wei Shen had already retired and transitioned into a PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds professional player.
Then, this morning, he had mentioned that anyone with ideas could contact him.
Wei Shen must have seen it and contacted Clearlove immediately.
“It’s like this, during the Spring Finals, he approached me and said he was quite interested in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and since you also seemed to have ideas, he wanted to ask… is there a possibility you could team up and play in Huya’s Bounty Match?”
Li Fan was surprised; so he had approached Clearlove before the Spring Finals.
“I didn’t mention it at the time mainly because we had the Finals coming up, and after the Finals, it was the Mid-Season Invitational. So, I forgot about it… Today, I’m taking this opportunity to bring it up with you again.”
At this moment, two bowls of steaming hot stir-fried noodles were served, their aroma filling the air.
Li Fan picked up his chopsticks and stirred the noodles, the fragrance rising with the steam.
“That sounds good. I don’t have a team right now either. Brother Kai, can you send me Wei Shen’s WeChat? I’ll chat with him on WeChat.”
Clearlove smiled upon hearing this and quickly took out his phone, “Okay! I’ll send it to you right away! You two can chat yourselves, I won’t interfere.”
“Does the club know about this?”
“Yes, they know.”
“No wonder. The club also wants to establish a PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Division, so that’s why.”
However, he had already rejected Ai De Zhu, so whether this PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Division would actually be established now was unknown.
But EDG would still have a PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Division later on.
But honestly, with the current popularity of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds being so incredible, shouldn’t all these clubs have ideas about it?
The establishment of a division should happen sooner rather than later.
If that’s the case, it feels like the prize pool for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds matches will be even bigger than it is later on.
After all, before, there weren’t many leagues, and it was mostly invitationals.
Just seconds after Li Fan sent the friend request, his phone vibrated, showing it had been accepted.
Immediately, Wei Shen’s chat window popped up impatiently.
【Fan Shen, I finally added you! Did Clearlove tell you? Are you interested in that Huya Bounty Match? If you are, how about we team up and participate together? I’ve already got two people on my end, just need you. 】
The excitement and eagerness of Wei Shen could be felt from his words… After all, there were less than half a month left until the team registration deadline.
Of course, it wasn’t impossible to join after the registration deadline, but that would require a team with significant capital and traffic.
Li Fan smiled as he looked at the message, and although it was realistic, he still asked the most crucial question.
【I’m interested, but, Wei Shen, are you planning to represent LGD, or are we forming our own team? 】
His question was very direct.
If Wei Shen were to represent LGD, the nature of the situation would become cooperation between two clubs, potentially involving commercial terms and constraints, which would be less freeing for him.
Moreover, EDG’s strength was still considerably greater than LGD’s. Ai De Zhu had already said he wanted to build a PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds team around him, so in this context, there was no need to go to LGD’s club.
This rhythm is quite significant…
If it were the latter, the freedom would be much higher, aligning better with his desire for autonomy.
Wei Shen saw this question and fell silent for a moment.
In fact, LGD had also told him about their idea of forming a PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Division.
But wasn’t he gathering so many people precisely to form a team?
【We’ll form our own team, not affiliated with any club. I’ve already found two other teammates, both with top-tier strength. Now we just need the strongest assault player and core. I believe you are the most suitable candidate! 】
【I can’t be the core, after all, you know… 】
Upon seeing these words, Wei Shen understood what this meant.
Li Fan could only play PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds matches part-time, and it had to be scheduled around his League of Legends matches.
Therefore, four people would definitely not be enough; they would need to recruit one more person.
But the money he was accumulating from playing professionally now… honestly, it was somewhat difficult.
After all, it was already 2017, and asking people to play professional matches purely out of passion wasn’t very realistic.
This would require seeking sponsorship, but his fame was no longer what it used to be, so having Li Fan around would make securing sponsorship easier.
He was actually aiming for this…
If he could participate in the matches, that would be best, but it wasn’t the end of the world if he couldn’t.
【I understand. Once you join, you can recruit another substitute. 】
Seeing Wei Shen’s understanding and the supplement about the substitute, Li Fan knew the other party understood his core demand: the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds matches could not interfere with the League of Legends matches.
But this was not enough; he needed more specific commitments and conditions.
【If I join your team, what can you give me? Wei Shen, let’s be upfront and honest.
EDG also had the idea of establishing a PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Division, and they offered very good treatment, but I refused. I’m seeking autonomy. You’re not going to make me work for free, out of passion, are you? 】
After sending the message, the “typing…” status at the top of the chat window persisted for a long time, indicating Wei Shen was carefully considering how to reply.
After a while, Wei Shen’s reply finally appeared, and it was quite lengthy.
【To be honest, I’m forming this team because I want to do it myself. 】
【I’m already contacting sponsors. As soon as the lineup is confirmed, especially once the news of your joining is released, I believe securing sponsors will be much easier. At that time, we can also split the sponsorship fees proportionally. 】
【As for compensation… how about 25% of the shares in the new subsidiary company? You’ll receive a share of the commercial revenue. 】
Li Fan looked at the “twenty-five percent shares” Wei Shen sent on the screen, and his heart sank further, even feeling a sense of speechlessness.
Twenty-five percent?
He almost laughed in anger.
Yes, he understood that negotiations involved back and forth, and he also knew that Wei Shen, as the initiator, might want to hold the dominant position.
However, starting with twenty-five percent was no longer just about haggling; it was almost insulting.
Who was he, Li Fan?
He was the top traffic magnet of the league, having just won the MSI Championship and FMVP, and the popularity king of live streaming platforms.
His fame and strength, as Wei Shen said, could easily attract sponsors.
And he was only worth twenty-five percent?
In terms of capital, while he wasn’t a real estate tycoon like Ai De Zhu, he could also contribute a considerable amount with his streaming contract and championship bonuses.
He wasn’t asking for fifty percent, but wasn’t an initial share of around forty percent a basic sign of sincerity in a partnership?
Wei Shen’s offer of twenty-five percent immediately made Li Fan feel that the other party might not truly see him as an equal partner.
It was more likely that he wanted to leverage his fame without being willing to pay an equivalent price.
“I was actually quite interested in discussing this with you…”
It made sense… After the 4AM team was formed, the veterans didn’t have shares; only Wei Shen did. Naturally, he wouldn’t want to give up shares if he was forming this team.
Suddenly, he felt that instead of going through the trouble of haggling with Wei Shen and trying to guess his thoughts, it would be better to form a team himself.
With his current influence, as long as he spread the word, would he be afraid of not finding skilled teammates and partners?
The money, though not a lot, was enough to invest in a PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds team, as forming a team without a league didn’t require much money at the moment.
He already brought his fame and traffic.
The biggest problem would be management; as a current League of Legends player, he genuinely didn’t have much energy to handle team operations.
But this problem was also quite solvable.
He could hire professional managers and establish effective management systems…
After all, it wasn’t like in the past; there were more professional talents available now, but building a team from scratch would be very troublesome.
This idea gave him another option, but it would be best if he himself had shares and could be a figurehead, appearing only during matches, which would be great…
Li Fan ultimately declined Wei Shen’s offer.
Although the idea of forming his own team was appealing, the initial complexity and management did give him a headache.
The situation seemed to have temporarily reached a stalemate.
However, that evening, EDG club received two uninvited guests.
Inside the meeting room, the lights were bright.
Ao Nuo, who had recently become the manager of EDG’s League of Legends Branch, wore a professional smile.
Sitting opposite him was a representative from Top Esports, led by Zhang Xiufeng, the head of the marketing department from the previous meeting, accompanied by an excited assistant, Xiao Lin.
“Manager Ao, we apologize for the intrusion,” Zhang Xiufeng said politely. “We are here primarily to discuss a cooperation project with your club’s player, Unreal.”
“Oh? What kind of cooperation project requires direct discussion with our player? Usually, such matters are handled by the club as a whole.”
“We understand, we understand,” the representative smiled and leaned forward slightly. “However, this project is rather special, and we wish to speak with player Unreal face-to-face.”
“This… may not be in accordance with the rules,” Ao Nuo waved his hand. “Li Fan is our contracted player for EDG, and all his commercial activities and match arrangements should be conducted within the club’s framework.”
“The content of our discussion will not affect match arrangements. As for commercial activities, the club and the player are equals, and it’s not as simple as the club dictating terms.”
They were aggressively prepared and clearly felt that if they didn’t see Li Fan tonight, they wouldn’t be easily dismissed.
Ao Nuo took out his phone. “Then I’ll need to consult with the Boss.”
Zhang Xiufeng waved his hand.
After a while, Ao Nuo entered the meeting room.
“The Boss has agreed, but while you chat, it cannot affect the League of Legends matches…”
Zhang Xiufeng’s face broke into a smile.
“We naturally understand that…”
…
Li Fan sat on the sofa in the meeting room, listening to Xiao Lin explain their cooperation plan.
When he heard the key part, even with Li Fan’s current composure, he couldn’t help but sit up straighter, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
“We, Top Esports, are very sincere in inviting Unreal to join our newly formed PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Division and to serve as the core and flag of the team.”
Xiao Lin adjusted his glasses. “To show our sincerity, we are willing to grant you sixty percent of the shares in the new PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds project subsidiary company. You and Top Esports will jointly be owners of this company.”
“At the same time, as a player and partner of the club, you will receive a guaranteed annual salary of five million yuan. Match bonuses, commercial sponsorship revenue, etc., will be distributed separately according to the share ratio.”
Sixty percent shares and a five million annual salary!
This was no small gesture!
This was no longer a simple player contract or invitation for cooperation; it was essentially placing him in the position of an equal partner with Top Esports!
Sixty percent shares meant that in this PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds team, he would have absolute say and decision-making power.
And the five million annual salary was more like a form of respect and guarantee, indicating that Top Esports recognized his value as a professional player.
They were really not stingy at all!
No wonder Top Esports readily paid six million without blinking for Brother.
Zhang Xiufeng, the marketing department head who had been silent beside him, spoke at the appropriate time. “Mr. Li Fan, our determination at Top Esports to enter the esports field is unwavering, and our investment is by no means trivial.”
“We believe that with your strength and influence, combined with Top Esports’ mature operational system and brand endorsement, this PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds team will undoubtedly quickly become a top domestic force, and even secure a place on the international stage in the future. What we pursue is long-term success and the joint enhancement of brand value… we care about the brand’s value.”
“You can consider it first. If you agree, call us. You can come sign the contract anytime. Of course, when signing the contract, you can also find a lawyer to review it.”
Top Esports’ headquarters is in Magic City, which is why they came to EDG Club’s doorstep tonight after the meeting yesterday.
After seeing off the sincere representatives from Top Esports, Li Fan hadn’t even had time to fully process everything before the meeting room door was pushed open again.
This time, it was Ao Nuo, with a somewhat complicated expression, followed by Boss Ai De Zhu, whose expression was much more serious than during the morning’s negotiations.
Clearly, Top Esports’ sudden visit and the terms they offered had made the helmsman of EDG restless.
He had to step in personally and make a final effort.
“Li Fan, sit,” Ai De Zhu’s voice was lower than usual, indicating for Li Fan to sit down, while he himself sat opposite.
“The people from Top Esports, what they discussed with you, I can probably guess… they gave you a difficult condition to refuse, right?”
Li Fan did not deny it, merely looking calmly at Ai De Zhu.
Ai De Zhu took a deep breath and said, “I know, with the previous 15 million contract, you might have felt the club just wanted to tie you down with money and didn’t give you the respect and autonomy you desired. Fine, now I’ll give you a new proposal…”
Ai De Zhu said word by word, “I’ll give you thirty percent of EDG club’s dry shares, and additionally, the previous 15 million contract remains valid. This is your dual salary as a League of Legends player and a PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds player.”
After speaking, Ai De Zhu stared intently at Li Fan’s reaction.
In his opinion, this condition was extremely generous.
As an established powerhouse in the LPL, EDG’s intrinsic brand value and future development potential, especially the scarcity and stability of seats after the LPL’s league system, meant that thirty percent of EDG shares had long-term value and substance…
Not to mention the annual salary of fifteen million.
However, Li Fan’s face did not show the surprise Ai De Zhu expected after hearing it.
After a few seconds of silence, he gently shook his head.
“Boss, thank you for your regard. This condition is indeed very sincere,” Li Fan’s tone was earnest, but his next words made Ai De Zhu’s heart sink. “However, I still cannot accept it.”
“Why?” Ai De Zhu blurted out, unable to comprehend. “Did Top Esports offer even more?”
Li Fan did not speak further, merely nodded.
This shocked Ai De Zhu…
Top Esports could offer theoretically more than he could?
After a long while, Ai De Zhu sighed deeply, a complex smile appearing on his face.
“Alright… I understand.” He stood up and patted Li Fan’s shoulder. “People strive for betterment. You have your pursuits, and I understand.”
“If you ultimately decide to sign with Top Esports, make sure to read the contract terms carefully. If needed, the club has lawyers we’ve worked with for a long time who we can recommend to help you review it. After all, you are still part of EDG, so don’t get taken advantage of outside.”
“Thank you, Boss…”
Leaving the meeting room, Li Fan took a deep breath, his heart ablaze.
Top Esports’ sincerity, Wei Shen’s invitation, and Ai De Zhu… choosing one out of three had always been an option.
Without any hesitation, he took out his phone and found the number he had just saved.
The call was answered almost instantly.
“Hello? Mr. Li Fan?” Xiao Lin’s excited voice came from the other end.
“It’s me. Manager Zhang and Mr. Xiao Lin, hello. Regarding your proposal tonight, I’ve thought it over and I accept. Now, can we… discuss the details?”
There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by an outburst of uncontrollable joy. “That’s great! Fan Shen, no, Mr. Li! Welcome aboard! We can discuss in detail anytime. Would tomorrow morning be convenient for you?”
“Yes, you can decide the location and send me the address.”
Six PM the next day.
Countless office workers on their commute, students after school taking out their phones…
A trending search term began to climb at an astonishing speed.
#Unreal Forms PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Team#
“?????”
“What’s going on? Fan Ge is going to play PUBG professionally?”
“Just won the MSI championship, and they’re forming a PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Team instead of going to the World Championship?”
“It’s definitely clickbait, another marketing account trying to stir up drama for traffic! Yesterday on stream, he just said he was looking for people to participate in the Huya Bounty Tournament, and today it’s a formed team?”
“Click in and curse them to death!”
Countless fans of Li Fan, esports enthusiasts, and even strangers were attracted by this title.
Of course, they couldn’t help but start cursing directly…
After all, for a League of Legends World Champion player at his peak to suddenly form a professional team for another game, even for Unreal, seemed a bit far-fetched.
However, when they clicked into the hot search and saw the top few trending Weibo posts, everyone was stunned.
Instead, it was very clear photographs.
The background of the first photo was clearly a private room in a high-end coffee shop.
Li Fan was sitting on the sofa, smiling as he looked at the documents in his hand, with someone who looked like a lawyer sitting beside him.
Opposite them were two sharp young individuals.
On the coffee table between them lay several documents that looked like contracts.
【Holy crap!? Signing a contract?! They actually signed?! This isn’t just for show?!】
【Wait wait wait! Zhang Xiufeng? The Minister of Top Esports’s market department?】
【Top Esports? Is that the Top Esports that sells sneakers? Are they involved in esports now?】
【Where did the photos come from? Did paparazzi sneak into the coffee shop?】
【Are you stupid upstairs? This is clearly an intentional leak! The purpose is to build hype in advance!】
【Top Esports is amazing! They managed to get Fan Ge? How much did this cost?】
【Didn’t EDG say they were building their own division? How did Top Esports poach him?】
Li Fan’s fan groups, major esports forums, and Tieba were almost immediately flooded with this topic.
It directly pushed the topic’s popularity to new heights, one after another.
The tag “#Unreal Forms PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Team#”, amidst this explosive discussion, rocketed from tenth place on the hot search list, reaching first place in just half an hour…
A newly registered account appeared in people’s view.
The Weibo account’s name was very simple, with only a few English letters and a period: U.TES
Its first Weibo post, published half an hour after the hot search reached its peak, was extremely concise, containing only two words, but accompanied by a picture of great significance.
【Hello.//@U.TES】
The main structure of the logo cleverly integrated the letters “U” and “T”.
The shape of “U” was bold and aggressive, like a blade cutting through the air or spread wings, representing Unreal.
While “T” transformed into a solid base and shield supporting the “U”, with stable and powerful lines, representing Top Esports.
The team name is also Top Esports Unreal, deliberately placing Li Fan’s ID at the front for emphasis.
As for the meaning, it’s a direct translation: Top Esports · Unreal.
Top Esports wanted to build an extraordinary brand.
The overall color scheme uses Top Esports’s signature deep blue intertwined with the common esports fiery gold, preserving the brand’s steadiness while injecting esports’ passion and sharp edge.
This Weibo post, upon its release, was like a drop of water in a boiling oil pan, causing an instant explosion!
【Holy crap?! The official account?! They’re announcing it already?!】
【U.TES? Unreal-TES?】
【This logo design is pretty good!!】
【So it’s confirmed! Fan Ge has really teamed up with Top Esports, it’s not a player contract but a cooperation to build a team! The team name even starts with his name!】
【@Top Esports, come out and claim your new son!】
The follower count of the Weibo account “U.TES” began to skyrocket at an astonishing rate of tens of thousands per second.
Top Esports’s official Weibo reposted this “U.TES” Weibo post.
【Welcome to the team, legend. Let’s fight on a new battlefield together @U.TES!//@U.TES: Hello.】
Almost immediately afterward, Li Fan, who had remained silent, finally updated his personal Weibo.
He reposted that “U.TES” Weibo post, and his content was equally concise.
【A new challenge has been accepted.//@U.TES: Hello.】
The synergistic effect of these three Weibo posts, like three bombshells, propelled the atmosphere to its absolute climax!
#U.TES Official Announcement#
#Top Esports PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Division#
#Unreal’s New Challenge#
Related tags emerged like mushrooms after a spring rain, quickly dominating the top of the hot search list.
【Amazing!!! Fan Ge is amazing! Top Esports is amazing!】
【Such prestige! A dedicated sub-brand Weibo! The logo even starts with a U! This status is unparalleled!】
【When can we see U.TES’s debut in the Huya Bounty Tournament?! I can’t wait!】
【Double the joy for fans! I really like buying things from Top Sports stores, so I’m a fan, and also a fan of Fan Ge! I’m hyping this collaboration to the max!】
