DGE Club.
Zhang Yuan looked at the visiting Wu Yue and Manager Lu with a somewhat bewildered expression.
What was going on?
He and Mr. Pei had just returned to Jingzhou, barely had time to sit down, and Wu Yue and Manager Lu had arrived right on their heels.
The two parties were separated by just two hours.
Did they have any objection to the cooperation? Was there something that couldn’t be said over the phone?
Zhang Yuan felt confused, but since they had already arrived, he had to receive them properly.
After leading Wu Yue and Manager Lu to the conference room, someone brought in tea.
Zhang Yuan was now not only the manager responsible for DGE Esports Club but also the head of Tenda’s esports division. His work focus had gradually shifted to the GPL league, leaving him with less time to manage DGE Club’s daily training.
As a result, DGE Club had been hiring more and more staff: coaches, analysts, team leaders, nutritionists, team doctors, brand visual designers, photographers, videographers, creative designers, and so on.
Now Zhang Yuan was gradually handing off his club responsibilities, only making decisions on important matters and merely checking in on other things.
This was Wu Yue and Manager Lu’s first visit to the DGE Club. Just a glance around made them realize how much more professional it was than the FV Club!
The training environment, staffing, and the overall spirit of the entire base were completely different.
Wu Yue took a sip of tea and remarked with admiration: “Mr. Zhang, I’ve long heard that the DGE Club is the most professionally run in the country, without exception. Seeing it today, the reputation is certainly well-deserved.”
“Mr. Pei truly has incredible foresight for the future of the esports industry, greatly advancing the professionalization of domestic esports clubs.”
Zhang Yuan smiled: “Rather than foresight, it’s more a kind of confidence.”
“Most clubs know that to achieve results, professionalization of club management is essential. Many clubs aspire to match traditional football clubs in this regard.”
“But most clubs haven’t excelled at this, and ultimately it’s because they lack confidence. Professionalization means investing more money, and without confidence in profitability, they’re reluctant to invest, so professionalization naturally can’t be achieved.”
“Mr. Pei has a very positive outlook on the future of the esports industry, with abundant confidence, so he can boldly invest a lot of money in the club without worry.”
Wu Yue nodded deeply in agreement: “Well said!”
“Mr. Zhang, you’re also experienced in club operations. DGE Club, as one of the few profitable clubs in the country, can achieve both fame and fortune without even competing in tournaments, managing both reputation and profit. It’s truly admirable.”
“If there’s an opportunity, I hope Mr. Zhang can share some experiences in club operations.”
Zhang Yuan smiled and shook his head: “Not at all. The overall framework of club operations was set up by Mr. Pei. I haven’t contributed much, just ordering takeout occasionally.”
After some small talk, Zhang Yuan said, “You two made a special trip to Jingzhou. Do you feel there are issues with the cooperation?”
Wu Yue shook his head: “No, no, no, the cooperation has no issues at all.”
“It’s like this—Manager Lu and I discussed how to spend this investment, and we want to buy a few players…”
Wu Yue briefly explained his intentions.
Zhang Yuan nodded after listening, understanding now.
No wonder Wu Yue and Manager Lu had rushed to Jingzhou right after them. They hadn’t initially thought of using the money to buy players; they only came up with the idea after Mr. Pei left.
And if they wanted to buy players, they needed to come to Jingzhou to talk face-to-face with the club owners.
After some consideration, Zhang Yuan said, “How about this: I’ll make some introductions, and you can talk with SHG and other clubs. As for whether they’re willing to sell, that will depend on your negotiations.”
Tenda was the organizer of the GPL, and these clubs could be said to obey Mr. Pei and Tenda’s every word. But Zhang Yuan didn’t want to force these clubs to sell players, as that would be abusing Mr. Pei’s influence, which would be very inappropriate.
The key was still the willingness of these clubs.
Wu Yue nodded: “Of course!”
Zhang Yuan stood up and led Wu Yue and Manager Lu to the SHG Club to find Lin Chang.
Lin Chang had spearheaded the buying of IOI players and had snatched two or three good IOI talents, so naturally, they would start with him.
If Lin Chang was unwilling to sell, then Zhang Yuan would consider approaching other clubs.
Wu Yue and Manager Lu walked through Mingyun Villa, looking at the beautiful detached villas and various esports clubs, their eyes full of envy.
“Mr. Pei has truly transformed Jingzhou into an esports holy land. It’s thriving—so enviable.”
“There are more than a dozen clubs as professional as DGE Club. How could the GPL league not succeed? Looking at it this way, IOI’s loss isn’t surprising.”
“Ah, it’s a pity our company is in Shanghai and can’t relocate.”
Soon, they arrived at the SHG Club.
Zhang Yuan brought Wu Yue and Manager Lu to find Lin Chang and explained their purpose.
Lin Chang was stunned for a moment: “Mr. Pei invested in your club? You want to buy IOI players?”
Wu Yue nodded: “Yes, Mr. Lin. We’re just trying to build a relatively strong team to better compete in the qualifiers. If we achieve good results, it will also bring glory to Mr. Pei.”
“Of course, we’ll certainly pay according to market transfer prices. You can pick out a few players who aren’t getting playtime but know how to play IOI and sell us one or two.”
Wu Yue knew that Lin Chang was a big shot from Shenhua Group, and since he was the one asking for a favor, he naturally spoke very politely.
Lin Chang smiled: “Hey, no need to be so formal!”
“Since it’s a club invested in by Mr. Pei, we need to give our full support!”
“To be honest, when I bought these players, I was just taking a chance, thinking maybe there might be some good talent to develop.”
“Since it’s a club invested in by Mr. Pei, of course, we can talk. Which players do you like? Feel free to pick!”
“Oh, and the other teams too—I’ll give them a call. All the IOI players will be made available, and you can take your pick!”
“Of course, we need to respect the players’ wishes.”
Wu Yue felt a bit embarrassed and quickly said: “No, no, no, I just need two players. There’s no need to make such a big fuss…”
Lin Chang waved his hand: “No need to be polite! For us, this is just a small favor.”
“Although I’m not clear on Mr. Pei’s purpose in investing in your club, since he has invested, he has some special objective. Anyway, let’s first make a push for the qualifiers. A team invested in by Mr. Pei absolutely cannot bring shame to Mr. Pei!”
Wu Yue was deeply moved.
Although he knew very well that Mr. Lin’s generosity was mainly due to Mr. Pei’s influence and had little to do with the FV Club, the feeling was still heartwarming.
Lin Chang quickly made several phone calls.
Half an hour later, team leaders from several clubs had all arrived, each holding a list.
Lin Chang compiled all the lists and handed them to Wu Yue: “Mr. Wu, this is a list of all former IOI professional players. Take a look and pick out the strongest team.”
Wu Yue reached out to take it, and as he and Manager Lu examined it carefully, expressions of shock appeared on their faces.
This… this lineup was too impressive!
Since FV Club only had an IOI division, they had a deep impression of those well-known IOI player IDs.
These lists included star players from the IOI divisions of established clubs like SUG. Although they weren’t entire teams, every position was covered, making it possible to assemble a team with top-tier strength in every position.
Wu Yue looked at Lin Chang and the other club team leaders: “With these players’ market values… I’m afraid we can’t afford them.”
Lin Chang smiled: “Talking about buying is too formal! See who you like and take your pick! We didn’t spend much money when we bought these players anyway. Consider it a gift to Mr. Pei’s invested club!”