February 2nd, Thursday.

Pei Qian sat in his office, continuing to contemplate the upcoming work arrangements for each department.

The new smartphone and smart fitness clothes drying rack – these two products directly dealt with OTTO Technology, Shangyang Games, and Tuoguan Fitness; three departments in total. Pei Qian was quite satisfied with this outcome.

Especially with the smart fitness clothes drying rack concept, Pei Qian was very pleased.

No matter how you look at it, this thing shouldn’t be able to sell at all, right?

Thinking about how this idea could simultaneously handle three departments that might betray him, Pei Qian couldn’t help feeling a bit smug.

However, the tasks ahead remained challenging.

With so many industries and departments in Tenda Group now, even Pei Qian found it nearly impossible to oversee everything. Yet he couldn’t let his guard down either, as he never knew which department might be secretly brewing some big plans. One moment of carelessness, and he’d be forced to make money again.

Pei Qian still browsed through all the work reports from various departments, seeking clues while contemplating what money-losing projects he should arrange next for these profitable departments to tackle.

After reading for a while, Pei Qian felt overwhelmed and picked up his phone to browse the news.

“Hmm?”

“Executive changes at Finger Company? Two data balancers who privately contacted FRY Club have been dismissed. Former Greater China Region head Kreidian has been removed from office, succeeded by Eric…”

“Eric’s back again?”

Seeing this news, Pei Qian couldn’t help feeling somewhat pleased.

Eric, ah, an old friend!

Although the ioi World Championship had concluded, the aftermath and buzz surrounding the tournament never truly faded. After FV team’s championship victory, their popularity and attention skyrocketed, transforming from an obscure small club into a world-renowned esports team.

Despite ioi’s domestic market share being severely squeezed by GOG, FV was still a Chinese team. After their championship, even many GOG players were following their story. Internationally, foreign players had all become familiar with this team and its five members.

Post-competition, all sorts of news surrounding FV team was dug up.

This was partly because FV team had always kept a low profile, providing plenty of juicy material to uncover. On the other hand, FV’s official blog consistently generated attention-grabbing content, earning them high visibility.

As a result, details like FV team receiving discriminatory treatment from Dragon Universe, Mr. Pei providing them with top-tier accommodation and logistical support, the strongest coaching staff in history – all these topics were repeatedly discussed.

Finally, the news about two official Finger Company data balancers helping FRY team develop strategies was exposed, completely igniting public outrage!

Not only Chinese players were vehemently protesting; foreign players also expressed their inability to accept this situation.

This incident made FRY team’s loss even more humiliating!

Being swept 3:0 in the finals was already embarrassing enough. Receiving tactical guidance from official data balancers and still getting swept 3:0 made it even worse!

After this revelation, foreign players also felt disgraced and pressured both Dayak Corporation and Finger Company.

Within Dayak Corporation, factions led by Eric who had been eyeing Kreidian’s position also seized this opportunity to engage in power struggles.

After all this upheaval, with the release of the official personnel change announcement, the power struggle within Dayak Corporation finally settled.

Though many players remained unsatisfied with the outcome, Finger Company had at least dismissed two data balancers and removed one executive. Their gesture was sufficient, and the criticism gradually subsided.

However, the negative impact of this incident on Finger Company and ioi would likely remain unresolved for a long time.

Pei Qian didn’t know the details of the internal power struggles at Finger Company, but judging from the results, Eric returning as Greater China Region head wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Compared to Kreidian, Eric was more straightforward. While Kreidian liked playing tricks with gameplay mechanics, Eric preferred direct spending, which better suited Pei Qian’s preferences.

“Eric regaining his position as Greater China Region head suggests Dayak Corporation’s executives have approved his approach. So… the real money-burning war is about to begin?”

“Suddenly feeling a bit excited!”

Pei Qian found himself anticipating Eric taking over ioi’s Chinese servers.

Come, let’s burn money together!

I was just looking for an excuse!

…

Meanwhile, at Dragon Universe Corporation headquarters in Magic City.

Zhao Xuming beamed as he welcomed Eric into the conference room.

“Mr. Eric, welcome, welcome!”

“After such a long flight, you must be exhausted. Would you like some tea to rest first before we discuss business?”

Eric waved dismissively: “No need. I’m feeling great. Let’s get straight to business and discuss the latest cooperation matters for ioi China servers.”

Zhao Xuming dared not say more and quickly nodded: “Of course, no problem.”

Though outwardly agreeable, he knew clearly in his heart that seeing Eric’s confident demeanor, this was likely his “first three fires” as the new official. He needed to cooperate carefully.

Otherwise, his position would become even more precarious.

After the PR crisis, Zhao Xuming and Dragon Universe’s PR department had been overwhelmed with damage control throughout the Spring Festival holiday.

Though the situation was barely contained, Zhao Xuming received warnings from upper management.

Had his blame-shifting skills not been so effective, he might already have been removed along with Kreidian.

Eric’s return to replace Kreidian clearly showed he had earned the complete trust and support of Dayak and Finger Company executives. Now Eric was surely ready to make bold moves. If Zhao Xuming proved to be a hindrance, Eric could easily negotiate with Dragon Universe’s higher-ups to replace him.

Therefore, Zhao Xuming dared not show any negligence. He understood clearly that everything now depended on Eric’s decisions, and he absolutely must not clash with Eric, or he’d definitely be the one eliminated.

Eric sized up Zhao Xuming: “Mr. Zhao, I’ve heard about your situation. You seem to have made many mistakes in promoting ioi.”

“But don’t worry – I’m forward-looking, so I can let bygones be bygones.”

“However, I must emphasize that my approach differs from Kreidian’s. I hope you’ll cooperate with me properly.”

Zhao Xuming quickly nodded: “Of course, that’s my duty.”

He understood Eric’s subtext.

Eric was saying that Zhao was also responsible for the previous promotional failures, and the blame wasn’t small. If Eric wanted, he could easily have Zhao replaced. But Eric wasn’t doing so; instead, he was keeping Zhao as the ioi operations head, clearly expecting 100% compliance.

Zhao Xuming had already planned to comply anyway, naturally showing no resistance.

Satisfied, Eric continued: “Now let me outline the new operational strategy for ioi China servers.”

“While the new version objectively lowered difficulty, attracted new players, and improved spectator experience, it also created negative impacts. The biggest one was ioi’s convergence with GOG design, allowing FV team using GOG tactics to win the championship. Many players now believe GOG has superior game design and competitive standards.”

“This is difficult to handle.”

“But reverting changes is impossible. It would create impressions of inconsistency and confusion, while raising difficulty and reducing spectator appeal.”

“So for game content, we can only make minor adjustments and plan long-term.”

“However, I’ve brought the secret weapon against Tenda.”

“That is… burning money!”

“Tenda’s killer move is spending money. To defeat them, we must spend even more!”

“I’ve convinced corporate to engage in a price war with GOG globally. Starting next version, all ioi heroes will be free, all skin prices reduced to 30% of original cost. We’ll prepare generous in-game rewards for veteran players, returning players, and newcomers, while investing heavily in promotion to reclaim market share from GOG!”

“This time, I’ve secured extensive authority and funding from headquarters. I’ll keep spending until Tenda’s financial resources can’t hold out!”

“As for you, Mr. Zhao, your task is to support me with promotional work in Greater China.”

“While this will affect Dragon Universe’s revenue, I trust you can distinguish between long-term and immediate interests?”

“If we let GOG continue its price war, ioi’s market will eventually be completely eroded. But if we win this spending battle, our future is limitless!”

“Mr. Zhao, please handle communications with Dragon Universe’s executives.”

Zhao Xuming quickly nodded: “Rest assured, I’ll handle it.”

He knew that Eric’s polite “please communicate” actually meant Dragon Universe had little room to refuse given Finger Company’s dominant position.

Watching Eric’s confidence, Zhao Xuming felt uneasy.

Competing with Tenda in spending?

Could this really work?

Zhao Xuming was very skeptical, but remembering Dayak Corporation’s vast resources, he felt there might be hope.

Anyway, such high-level conflicts were beyond his influence. He might as well focus on his duties and observe quietly from the sidelines.