December 26, Monday.

In the morning, Pei Qian woke up naturally and somewhat reluctantly got out of bed to brush his teeth and wash his face.

“Maybe I shouldn’t go to the office today…”

“Damn it, from today on I absolutely must study hard!”

Pei Qian muttered while brushing his teeth, annoyed with himself as he secretly made up his mind.

The past two days were the weekend, and Pei Qian couldn’t even remember what he did. It seemed like he just slept in at home, played some games, browsed the internet, and then two days vanished.

Originally, Pei Qian planned to find a quiet place to study properly.

After all, with exam week approaching fast, to achieve his goal of surpassing Old Ma, he had to squeeze out some time for serious studying.

But the problem was, everyone knows that time is like water in a sponge – squeeze it and there will always be some. But sometimes when you want to squeeze, you just don’t have the strength.

Pei Qian felt his time was more like water in a desert, always disappearing at light speed when he wasn’t paying attention.

And there was another huge concern – the mindset issue.

During Monday through Friday, the company had normal working hours. Pei Qian often had to keep an eye on things and handle work matters, like making final decisions, which took up some mental energy and left no time for studying.

On Saturday and Sunday, the company did take days off, so theoretically Pei Qian had time to study, but he couldn’t be bothered to move at home.

Working so hard Monday through Friday, shouldn’t he take a proper rest on weekends? Relax a bit?

As a result, time mysteriously disappeared.

Pei Qian couldn’t remember how many times he’d resolved to start studying properly from “today,” but his study progress remained extremely worrying. The notes he’d already photocopied hadn’t even been fully read through.

It was too difficult.

After washing up, Pei Qian vigorously wiped his face, then sat on the sofa and began studying the notes.

Five minutes later, he picked up his phone and habitually checked it.

“Hm? Mr. Li and Xue Zhebin invested in Cold Noodle Girl?”

Seeing this message from He Desheng, Pei Qian instantly became alert, his brow deeply furrowed.

A bright red character seemed to appear above his head: Danger!

Pei Qian immediately stood up and paced around the living room twice.

Mr. Li treated Pei Qian as an investment indicator, but hadn’t Pei Qian been treating Mr. Li as an investment warning line?

Pei Qian had carefully recalled his painful experiences of making money from investments, discovering that in most profits, Mr. Li had played a crucial role.

Many projects that were losing money nicely suddenly took a sharp turn for the worse once Mr. Li and other investors entered the picture, suddenly starting to make money!

And now Mr. Li had invested in Cold Noodle Girl – this was a clear signal.

Something was about to go wrong!

Pei Qian’s original plan was to invest 2 million at a time in Meng Chang, symbolically buying some shares, mainly to quietly burn money and silently lose money.

But now that Mr. Li had followed suit, this was a very dangerous signal – it meant Cold Noodle Girl was probably going to make big profits!

Thinking of this, Pei Qian felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, realizing his previous loss-making plan would probably be completely overturned.

If he continued with the original plan of giving 2 million at a time, what if Cold Noodle Girl’s valuation skyrocketed again? Wouldn’t he make another profit?

Absolutely not!

Pei Qian was now showing signs of being scarred by soup, nearly developing PTSD about Li in investment matters. He immediately decided to completely overturn his previous loss plan and run quickly!

After thinking for a moment, Pei Qian immediately called He Desheng.

“Sell all the shares we bought with that 2 million, immediately! Sell to anyone, high price or low price doesn’t matter, just sell them!”

The person on the other end was stunned.

He was somewhat confused – what was Mr. Pei up to now?

2 million was such a small amount, not buying much stock anyway. Was it necessary to be so anxious to sell? Going back and forth like this short-term, forget about making money, not losing money would be good enough.

This move was truly incomprehensible, very magical.

But hearing Mr. Pei’s determined tone, He Desheng suddenly felt that Mr. Pei must have some higher-level insights.

He Desheng didn’t dare ask more questions and immediately agreed.

After hanging up, He Desheng began carefully analyzing Mr. Pei’s intentions.

“I just sent Mr. Pei news about Mr. Li investing in Cold Noodle Girl, and soon after Mr. Pei asked me to sell the shares again, even willing to sell low for speed.”

“Could it be… this was arranged between Mr. Pei and Mr. Li, or some kind of tacit understanding between top investors? Could those 2 million small funds Mr. Pei spent and that tiny bit of stock he bought have some special meaning?”

The more He Desheng thought about it, the more he felt this matter wasn’t simple.

Mr. Li and Mr. Pei seemed to be coordinating, as if they’d discussed it beforehand.

But He Desheng only vaguely felt there might be a scheme here, unable to clarify what exactly this scheme was.

After much consideration without results, He Desheng still obediently followed Mr. Pei’s instructions and called Meng Chang.

—

“Selling again?”

“Wait, you’re even selling this tiny bit of stock?”

On the other end, Meng Chang was completely dumbfounded after receiving the call.

Like He Desheng, he was shocked, completely unable to understand what this operation from Mr. Pei meant.

Mr. Pei’s previous investment of only 2 million was already absurd. After all, when the FV Club traveled abroad, Mr. Pei would throw away millions without hesitation. Compared to that, this 2 million for Cold Noodle Girl was like scattering millet to feed pigeons.

The favoritism was crystal clear.

And yet Mr. Pei wanted to sell even this tiny bit of stock?

Mr. Pei spent all this effort and wasn’t even making money!

Wasn’t this messing with people’s mindsets?

If this could be done secretly, it would be fine. Mr. Pei had already sold all his previous shares; this time he was only selling the small amount from that 2 million – anyone could easily absorb it.

But the key was that it couldn’t be done secretly.

Any share transfer involving the company had to notify other shareholders according to the company’s bylaws and register the changes.

Mr. Li had now invested in Cold Noodle Girl and was also a shareholder.

Once Mr. Pei sold, Mr. Li would know, all company shareholders would know, and subsequently, all watching investors would get the news.

Wouldn’t this be disastrous?

Mr. Li had just invested in Cold Noodle Girl less than two days ago, and Meng Chang hadn’t even had time to warm the money when this happened. Who could handle this?

After getting this money, Meng Chang originally planned to roll up his sleeves and work hard.

As long as investors regained confidence in Cold Noodle Girl and the valuation game could continue, the whole script would proceed as Meng Chang envisioned.

Though there were some hiccups, the impact wouldn’t be huge.

But Mr. Pei’s sudden move was like dousing Meng Chang with cold water, completely extinguishing the small spark that had just ignited in his heart!

Few shares, but the perception wasn’t good!

Mr. Pei is selling all his Cold Noodle Girl shares twice in less than half a month…

If this got out, how would others view Cold Noodle Girl as a company?

When Mr. Pei previously sold all his shares, Meng Chang struggled desperately to suppress the news. If there was a repeat performance, even immortals couldn’t save them!

Meng Chang quickly realized the severity and hastily said, “General He, why is this necessary?”

“Tenda surely doesn’t need this little money, right?”

“How about this – could you talk to Mr. Pei about being flexible? Give me another month, no, half a month. Even just a week! Sell after a week, okay?”

Meng Chang wanted to hide this matter and buy time, then use this period to quickly find someone to take over, hoping to turn the raw rice into cooked rice to minimize the negative impact of Mr. Pei’s second share sale.

He Desheng sighed on the other end: “Sorry, you know Mr. Pei’s personality – this isn’t negotiable.”

Meng Chang’s hand holding the phone trembled slightly.

Cold Noodle Girl’s future had looked bright and promising just ten minutes ago, but now it suddenly became murky…

—

December 28, Wednesday.

10 PM Los Angeles time.

On the second floor of the internet café, Min Jingchao finished organizing and saving the data tables, copied everything to his laptop, and shredded the source files on the café computer.

Though this seemed excessive, it was better to be cautious. Training content was confidential – equivalent to military secrets during wartime.

After completing everything, Min Jingchao stretched. His work was complete for this phase.

“Brother Bao, thanks for your hard work these past few days,” Min Jingchao said to Bao Xu sitting beside him.

Bao Xu shook his head: “Not at all. I’m not tired. If every trip could be like this one, I think I could accept it…”

Originally, when Bao Xu heard they were going to Los Angeles, it felt like another calamity. But after arriving, he found it much more comfortable than previous overseas trips!

Still the same routine – five-star hotel at night, nearby internet café during the day. Besides data analysis and tactical research, he could play games.

Though it was overseas, they didn’t need to visit tourist spots. Very comfortable!

If every trip abroad could be like this – just staying at hotels and internet cafés in a new city – that would be acceptable.

So this time, Bao Xu contributed significantly to the data analysis process, helping Min Jingchao immensely.

The team members were still playing practice matches, continuing to refine their tactics.

Tomorrow was Thursday, when the IOI World Championship group stage would officially begin. This IOI schedule differed from GOG’s global invitational.

To ensure weaker regions had teams in the quarterfinals, Cretian decided to use “first seed auto-qualification” rules.

This time, there were 16 teams total. The first four seeds auto-qualified for the quarterfinals, while the remaining 12 teams were divided into four groups. Each group’s 3 teams played double round-robin BO1, with only group leaders advancing.

After that, the quarterfinals would be redrawn, without same-region avoidance – you’d face whoever you drew.

FV Club was the country’s first seed, starting from the quarterfinals. The group stage didn’t concern them, and their quarterfinal opponent wasn’t determined.

But this didn’t mean they could relax.

Players still needed to maintain high-intensity training to stay sharp, while the data team had to seize every moment researching group stage teams’ tactics, confirming their meta understanding was correct.

If they didn’t prepare thoroughly during the group stage, starting from the quarterfinals might mean an immediate exit.

In short, the real hard battles were about to begin.

—

Meanwhile, downstairs in the café.

The other two clubs had also finished today’s training, packing their belongings to head back.

These days, both clubs maintain the same schedule, basically training until around midnight before leaving.

Today, they left slightly earlier for better rest before tomorrow’s official start.

At the café entrance, as usual, everyone saw FV Club’s minibus and all tacitly pretended not to notice.

Initially, both clubs’ managers studied FV’s training times to avoid awkward encounters.

But later they discovered it was unnecessary – FV trained longer hours virtually every day!

These two clubs usually woke up around 10 AM, had lunch at the hotel before coming to the café. Yet every arrival, they’d see the minibus already parked.

Both clubs typically left around midnight, when the minibus was still there.

This left both clubs’ managers and players very confused.

What exactly was the FV Club practicing with these long hours?

These clubs weren’t lazy – they followed their domestic training schedules. Morning queues were dead with few high-rank players and no practice matches. Waking early was pointless.

Plus, human energy was limited. Excessive training might affect performance; efficiency could decrease.

Yet FV Club trained from morning to dawn, in stark contrast.

Both managers were intensely curious. Several times, they pretended to pass by, wanting to sneak upstairs for a peek at FV’s training, only to be unsurprisingly blocked by four vigilant bodyguards, learning nothing useful.

This made both clubs even more curious.

A player asked confusedly: “FV only sleeps six or seven hours daily. They seem to train at all other times. What exactly are they practicing? Can their bodies handle it?”

Other players shared the same confusion.

FV was so diligent that it made everyone else look lazy.

The manager quickly said, “Don’t worry about it. Training is about efficiency, not time. There’s a saying: Many people just use tactical diligence to hide strategic laziness.”

“No worries. After extensive research, I’m certain FV hasn’t practiced with FRY or any foreign clubs, and even high-rank play is questionable.”

“They don’t have super accounts, though buying accounts isn’t impossible.”

“At most, they practice with SUG and their second team. Play among amateurs – it won’t improve much.”

“Alright, stop watching FV. The group stage starts tomorrow. Everyone, stay sharp and perform like in practice matches.”

“Though we still can’t beat FRY and other strong teams, we’ve improved since arriving. Our group drawing isn’t bad. Play steadily, and advancing to the quarterfinals is achievable.”

On the way back, the manager gave these pep talks, fearing his players’ mindsets would suffer.

Since arriving in Los Angeles, FV seemed to constantly mess with the other clubs’ psychology.

Business class flights, luxury five-star hotels, internet café second floor, hired cars and bodyguards, plus three photographers working overtime. Besides photos, they edited videos daily. FV’s official Weibo never stopped – at least three posts daily.

Though many criticized them, the account remained unfazed, continuing updates as usual. They’d only block extremely toxic comments.

Eventually, haters grew tired, saving energy for when FV lost before going full throttle.

After days of training, seeing FV members living luxuriously, the other clubs felt envious.

Tonight was the same. Past midnight, the street breeze was chilly. Everyone unconsciously quickened their pace.

A player suddenly thought: “Hey, isn’t FV supposed to move to our hotel today?”

Tomorrow’s official start meant Riot would provide accommodation for all teams.

These clubs previously had accommodation covered by Long Yu Group. Today at noon, everyone switched to Riot’s rooms.

Other clubs also arrived these past days, checking into the Courtyard Hotel.

Theoretically, FV should switch over, too, right?

Riot was covering accommodation. Not staying would waste money!

Players previously hadn’t considered this much. Now, looking at each other, hints of anticipation showed.

Right – no reason not to come!

Riot didn’t cover accommodation before, so self-funded luxury hotels were understandable. Now with Riot covering costs, continuing self-funding seemed excessive?

If everyone stayed at the Courtyard Hotel, living conditions would be equal. Though FV still had cars and security, it would reduce the psychological impact somewhat.

However, their hopes were dashed when they saw the black minibus pass by, stopping steadily at the Ritz-Carlton across the street.

FV team members exited one by one into the lobby, not even glancing at the Courtyard Hotel.

FV would continue staying here during the competition, not moving to the Courtyard.

Expectations crushed.

Both clubs’ players silently entered the Courtyard Hotel’s lobby, their barely stabilized mindsets wavering again…

—

December 29, Thursday, 9 AM.

At 11 AM Los Angeles time, or 3 AM Beijing time, the IOI World Championship was about to begin.

At the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, FV team members were doing basic fitness training in the gym.

Even in Los Angeles, players maintained good exercise habits. Regular schedules and physical fitness enabled better focus and longer training hours with higher efficiency.

The team physician watched carefully, preventing overexertion.

Fitness now wasn’t about exhaustion or muscle gain, but maintaining optimal condition, improving match focus, and staying limber. Excessive fatigue would harm training effectiveness.

The physician ensured players maintained peak physical condition.

In the hotel lounge, coaches and data analysts studied today’s matches.

This tournament’s format was unusual due to the first seeds auto-qualifying for the quarterfinals.

The group stage had 12 teams in four groups, playing double round-robin BO1, with group leaders advancing.

Four days total – Thursday through Sunday. Six matches daily, finishing Sunday with quarterfinal draws.

The 11 AM start time confused everyone.

GPL typically scheduled prime afternoon to evening slots, but Riot likely considered the large audience. If matches had bugs or delays, spectator departure would be problematic. Hence the earlier timing.

The venue was a famous local arena seating nearly 20,000, internationally renowned.

Riot was determined to save face with this championship, sparing no expense.

The prize pool was USD 3 million. Additionally, a special skin’s 25% revenue is added to the pool.

Prize distribution: 50% to champions, 15% to runners-up, 7.5% each for third and fourth, 2.5% each for fifth through eighth. The remaining teams split the last 10%.

This slightly exceeded GOG’s prize pool, and the venue far surpassed it.

After repeated interruptions by Tenda, Riot finally manifested their championship. Despite the costs, they had to outdo GOG on presentation.

Wu Yue checked the time and had Manager Lu gather players for showers, breakfast, and then departure for the opening ceremony.

FV’s matches started next week, but they’d selectively attend key matches to observe other teams and prepare accordingly.