Losing Money to Become a Tycoon: Starting with Games
Chapter 505: Boss Ma Got Farmed into a 0–28 Score
Friday, April 29.
Early that morning, Pei Qian rode over to Mingyun Villa.
He wasn't there to eat at Mingyun Private Kitchen—he hadn't made a reservation.
This time, he had come to check on the newly established DGE Esports Club.
They'd gotten a friendly discount on the rent, had their property management fees waived, and the club was even located in territory that Zhang Yuan knew inside and out...
Things had gone far too smoothly for DGE right from the start.
He had to inspect the place himself and make a few arrangements.
The villa assigned to DGE was a short distance from Mingyun Private Kitchen—about a five-minute walk.
As he stepped inside, the first thing he noticed was the somewhat empty-looking living room.
Because it was a different floor plan, the layout wasn't exactly the same as Mingyun Private Kitchen, though the overall design was similar.
The living room had already been furnished with rows of computer desks and gaming chairs. Identical ROF gaming PCs were lined up neatly, making it obvious that this large open space would serve as the players' training room.
The other rooms would presumably become the players' bedrooms.
President Li had bought three villas purely as investments, so there was no reason to spend a fortune renovating every one of them to suit his personal taste. This villa had largely been left in its original condition, with only the basic finishes—walls, floors, lighting, and so on.
That saved Zhang Yuan a great deal of trouble. With only minimal preparation, the club could begin operating almost immediately.
There were twelve computers in the hall.
Ten internet-addict-looking teenagers sat before them, completely absorbed in their keyboards and mice.
The room was astonishingly quiet.
Pei Qian found it rather strange.
They're playing a 5v5 game of GOG?
Shouldn't they be shouting commands at each other? Why is it so silent?
He glanced at the monitors again.
Yes, it was definitely GOG.
And they were all in the same match.
Then why isn't anyone talking?
Seeing President Pei arrive, Zhang Yuan hurried over.
Pei Qian looked around.
"Where's Ma Yang?"
Previously, Pei Qian had told Old Ma to spend more time helping Zhang Yuan at the club whenever he was free.
Besides, Zhang Yuan had mentioned yesterday that "Boss Ma was very satisfied with the ROF computers," which meant Ma Yang had been here then.
Zhang Yuan smiled awkwardly.
"President Pei... Boss Ma has actually been here almost every day recently."
"But... I don't think he's planning on coming today."
"He was... just a tiny bit unhappy yesterday."
Pei Qian blinked.
"Hm?"
In his memory, Old Ma was the eternal optimist.
Aside from getting a 59 on an exam, what could possibly make him unhappy?
Zhang Yuan explained, "Yesterday, after these players arrived, Boss Ma got really excited."
"He said he wanted to test their skill level, so he personally joined them for a game."
"These kids don't understand social etiquette at all."
"Even after I repeatedly tried to signal them with my eyes, they still ended up killing Boss Ma until his final score was 0 kills and 28 deaths."
Pei Qian couldn't help laughing.
Old Ma, o Old Ma.
Even a shameless freeloader like you finally had this day come.
Serves you right!
You spend all day getting carried while dragging me down, and then you complain that I don't carry hard enough?
Well, now you've finally learned your actual skill level.
After taking a proper beating from society, let's see if you still dare brag to me about your game knowledge.
Pei Qian scanned the room.
"So..."
"Which brave heroes were responsible for this?"
Zhang Yuan immediately panicked, thinking President Pei was about to seek revenge.
"President Pei! I've already severely criticized them!"
"This absolutely won't happen again!"
"And besides, I was partly responsible too."
"After Boss Ma died twice, I kept giving everyone meaningful looks, trying to tell them to ease up."
"But somehow they became even more aggressive."
"Afterward I asked them why, and they said they thought my signals meant they should turn up the intensity."
Pei Qian nearly burst out laughing.
"Criticize them?"
"On the contrary—reward every single one of them immediately!"
"If they don't possess the spirit of fair competition, how can they ever become professional players?"
"The fact that they showed Ma Yang absolutely no mercy and fought with everything they had is exactly what proves they're excellent professional prospects!"
"This kind of spirit deserves encouragement!"
Zhang Yuan pressed his lips together, his eyes filled with admiration.
"Understood, President Pei!"
He had assumed President Pei would be furious that his good friend had been mercilessly crushed.
Instead, not only was he completely unconcerned, he actually wanted to reward the players?
President Pei's sense of fairness was truly something worth learning.
The two continued chatting while the players remained completely focused on their game.
Headsets on, eyes fixed on their screens, they paid no attention whatsoever to the conversation around them.
As he spoke with Zhang Yuan, Pei Qian continued observing them.
He noticed that they truly hadn't said a single word.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, he asked, "Are they all playing solo queue? Or are they scrimming?"
"They're split into two teams playing against each other," Zhang Yuan replied.
Pei Qian became even more puzzled.
"Then are they communicating through eye contact? Or telepathy?"
"Don't tell me you somehow found two teams of quintuplets who can read each other's minds?"
"They don't even look alike."
Zhang Yuan chuckled awkwardly.
"...Ahem. President Pei, you're quite funny."
He glanced back at the players, then invited Pei Qian out into the courtyard before continuing.
"These players are all a bit... how should I put it..."
"They're extremely introverted."
"You could say they're the type people jokingly call 'social shut-ins.' They really hate talking."
"I'm trying to coach them out of it."
"I know GOG is a team game. You obviously can't play professionally without communication."
"But personality isn't something that changes overnight."
Pei Qian looked surprised.
"All ten of them are like that?"
"Even if they're gaming addicts, the odds can't possibly be that high."
"...Or..."
"Did you deliberately recruit them?"
A thought suddenly crossed Pei Qian's mind.
Could Zhang Yuan have finally figured it out?
I never even hinted at it, yet he already thought of recruiting socially awkward players as professional gamers?
Zhang Yuan scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
"President Pei... it wasn't intentional."
"They were simply the only candidates left."
"I didn't really have a choice."
Pei Qian raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
Zhang Yuan sighed softly.
"It's because of the nature of the DGE Club."
"President Pei, you've always emphasized that we should be open and honest, never hiding or deceiving anyone."
"I've been handling all my work according to that principle."
"So when I contacted high-ranking players from the GOG ladder, I told them everything truthfully."
"At first, I'd explain the club's conditions—base salary, bonuses, benefits, and such."
"Everyone was thrilled."
"Our pay is better than every other club's, and the employee benefits are incredibly attractive."
"But the moment I mentioned that our club isn't allowed to participate in any official GOG tournaments, they rejected the offer on the spot."
"The people who want to become professional players all dream of winning championships."
"At our club, forget winning a title—they can't even compete."
"No exposure."
"No prize money."
"Just a base salary."
"Being a pro gamer is a career that depends on youth."
"Who would want to spend those years earning nothing but a fixed salary?"
"So in the end, the only people we could recruit were players who had no better options."
"They weren't good at talking, and they were all pretty introverted."
"And even then, when it came time to sign contracts, they refused to sign for three years."
"They would only agree to one-year deals."
"But don't worry, President Pei."
"All ten of them are highly ranked."
"They're young, and they have a solid understanding of the game."
"They're definitely talented."
"I'm currently working on correcting their mindset."
Pei Qian finally understood.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Excellent.
Absolutely excellent.
For teenagers who genuinely dreamed of becoming professional players, they would naturally compare multiple clubs before signing.
Esports was a career with a very short lifespan.
The most important things were prize money and public exposure.
Who could survive on a fixed salary forever?
Since DGE Club couldn't participate in any official tournaments, there was no chance of earning prize money or becoming famous.
Who would willingly join?
Even the few unwanted gaming addicts they had managed to recruit clearly viewed DGE as nothing more than a stepping stone.
They would spend a year improving their skills, then transfer to another club the moment a better opportunity appeared.
Pei Qian was extremely satisfied.
Wonderful!
This makes it even less likely that the club will ever make money.
It'll be nothing but a money-burning operation.
However, he couldn't afford to be too optimistic.
Zhang Yuan had said he was "working hard to correct their mindset" and "properly train them."
He clearly meant it.
"So," Pei Qian asked, "what exactly are you planning to do?"
Zhang Yuan thought for a moment.
"My plan is to give them a couple of days to settle in first."
"At the same time, I'm going to start looking for a coach."
"Ideally, we should find someone who's an experienced veteran coach—someone who's worked with other esports teams before, has authority, and can command the players' respect."
"We'll bring him in to completely reshape these players, require them to communicate with their teammates, and systematically develop team strategies."
"Some of the coaches or assistant coaches from Divine Revelation teams would be pretty good candidates."
Pei Qian fell silent.
That actually sounds like a very sensible plan.
A good coach really could make an enormous difference to a team—even transform it completely.
Which is exactly why I can't let Zhang Yuan find one!
Pei Qian cleared his throat.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
Zhang Yuan blinked.
"President Pei has a different opinion?"
Pei Qian slowly strolled through the villa's garden while Zhang Yuan quietly followed beside him, listening attentively.
"First of all, GOG is a brand-new game."
"Its mechanics differ greatly from Divine Revelation and other similar competitive games."
"If we bring in coaches from those games, their entrenched way of thinking may actually hold these players back."
"Our players are already top-ranked ladder players."
"If you have someone whose understanding of the game is inferior to theirs trying to teach them, it may appear to improve teamwork on the surface, but in reality, it suppresses their natural talent."
"Second, as you said, their introverted personalities are innate."
"They can't change overnight."
"If we force them to communicate constantly, not only might it fail to improve communication, it could also destroy the advantage they currently have—their ability to focus entirely on their own play."
"It would be like the man from Handan learning to walk—losing what made them good in the first place while failing to gain anything useful."
"And finally..."
"Divine Revelation and many other esports titles aren't developing very well right now."
"The entire scene is still highly unprofessional."
"Most domestic esports clubs fall into one of two categories."
"Either the players moonlight as paid boosters while the club also operates as a boosting studio, or the club is simply a rich second-generation heir's hobby project."
"And in both cases, the organizations are complete messes internally."
"They have very little worthwhile experience to offer."
"If anything, they'd only bring bad habits and unhealthy culture with them."
Zhang Yuan remained silent for a long time before nodding in realization.
"...I see."
"I really hadn't considered that angle before, President Pei."
"But according to what you're saying, doesn't that leave us with no solution at all?"
"If the players are all socially withdrawn, should we simply stop asking them to communicate?"
"If existing clubs are unprofessional, should we just not hire a coach?"
"...That doesn't seem right either."
Pei Qian was momentarily speechless.
Why have you suddenly stopped overthinking things now?
Seriously... now I actually have to explain myself.
He cleared his throat again.
"What I mean is..."
"We shouldn't rush this."
"These things take time."
"We need to let these socially awkward kids gradually open up to one another."
"As for coaches..."
"Just because we don't recruit one from another club doesn't mean we can't find one through other channels."
Zhang Yuan thought for a moment.
"All right, President Pei."
"Just tell me what you want me to do."
Pei Qian nodded slightly.
That's more like it.
This is the Zhang Yuan I know.
"Here's what we'll do."
"Cancel all team training sessions."
"Let them continue playing solo queue."
"As for the coach..."
"I'll personally look for one."
"I'll bring you someone within two weeks."
Without the slightest suspicion, Zhang Yuan nodded immediately.
"Understood, President Pei."
"I have absolute confidence in your eye for talent."