December 26th, Monday …
In the morning, Pei Qian, who had slept until he woke up naturally, got out of bed reluctantly and went to brush his teeth and wash his face.
"Why don't I not go to the office today …"
"Damn it, I have to revise properly from today onwards!"
Pei Qian felt vexed as he brushed his teeth. He secretly made up his mind.
It was the weekend two days ago. Pei Qian could not remember what he had done. It seemed like he had just slept in at home, played games, and surfed the web. Then, two days passed.
Pei Qian had planned to find a quiet place to revise.
After all, the exam week was coming. He had to take some time out to revise in order to surpass Old Ma.
However, the problem was that everyone knew that time was like water in a sponge. There would always be some if you squeezed it, but sometimes, you would not have the strength to squeeze it.
Pei Qian felt like his time was more like water in the desert. It would always flow away at the speed of light if he was not careful.
What's more, there was a huge problem with his mentality.
From Monday to Friday, the company worked as usual. Pei Qian often had to keep an eye on and deal with some work matters, such as making decisions. He had to spend some energy and did not have time to revise.
The company was indeed on holiday on Saturday and Sunday. Logically speaking, Pei Qian should have time to revise, but he was too lazy to move at home.
He was so busy from Monday to Friday. Shouldn't he have a good rest during the weekend? Relax?
Yet, for some reason, all the time was gone.
Pei Qian could not remember how many times he had made up his mind to revise from today onwards. However, the progress of his revision was still extremely worrying. He had not finished reading a few pages of the notes that he had already photocopied.
It was too difficult.
After washing up, Pei Qian wiped his face hard and sat on the sofa to read his notes and revise.
Five minutes later, he picked up his cell phone and swiped it out of habit.
"Eh? Boss Li and Xue Zhebin invested in the Cold-Faced Lady? "
Pei Qian was instantly alert when he saw the message from He Desheng. He frowned.
A bright red word seemed to appear above his head: Danger!
Pei Qian immediately stood up and walked around the living room twice.
Boss Li treated Pei Qian as the wind vane of investment. Pei Qian also treated Boss Li as the warning line of investment.
Pei Qian had already carefully recalled his painful experience of making money from investments. He realized that Boss Li had played a crucial role in most of the profits.
Many of the projects that had been losing money before, when Boss Li brought other investors into the scene, the situation instantly took a turn for the worse. They suddenly started to make money!
Now, Boss Li had invested in the Cold-Faced Lady. That was a clear signal.
Something bad was going to happen!
Pei Qian had originally planned to invest two million yuan in Meng Chang and buy some shares symbolically. His main goal was to burn money silently and lose money silently.
However, now that Boss Li had invested, this was a very dangerous signal. It meant that the Cold-Faced Lady project was most likely going to make a huge profit!
At that thought, Pei Qian felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He felt like his previous loss-making plan was about to be completely overturned.
If he continued to give two million yuan and two million yuan according to the original plan, wouldn't he make another profit if the Cold-Faced Lady's valuation skyrocketed again?
Absolutely not!
Now, Pei Qian was showing signs of turning pale at the mention of soup. He was almost as bad as Boss Li's PTSD when it came to investing. He immediately decided to overturn all his previous loss-making plans and run!
After some consideration, Pei Qian immediately called He Desheng.
"Sell all the shares that you bought for two million yuan, immediately! Sell them to anyone. It doesn't matter if the price is high or low. Just sell them! "
The person on the other end of the line was obviously stunned.
He was a little confused. What was Boss Pei up to again?
Two million yuan was not enough to buy many shares. Was there a need to sell them so quickly? He could forget about earning money in the short term. It would be good enough if he did not lose money.
This operation was really incomprehensible and very magical.
However, He Desheng suddenly felt that Boss Pei must have a higher level of understanding when he heard Boss Pei's determined tone.
He Desheng did not dare to ask further and agreed immediately.
After hanging up, He Desheng began to carefully analyze Boss Pei's intentions.
"Not long after I sent the news of Boss Li investing in the Cold-Faced Lady to Boss Pei, Boss Pei asked me to sell my shares again. As long as I was fast, I would even sell them at a low price."
"Could it be that … Boss Pei and Boss Li had discussed this? Or is it a tacit understanding between top investors? Could it be that the two million yuan that Boss Pei spent previously to buy that little bit of shares has a special meaning? "
The more He Desheng thought about it, the more he felt that this matter was not simple.
Boss Li and Boss Pei seemed to be cooperating as if they had discussed it in advance.
However, He Desheng only vaguely felt that there might be a trap here. He could not tell what the trap was.
After much consideration, He Desheng still followed Boss Pei's instructions obediently and dialed Meng Chang's number.
…
"Selling again?"
"No, are you selling such a small amount of shares?"
On the other end of the line, Meng Chang was completely confused.
He was as shocked as He Desheng. He could not understand what Boss Pei was doing.
It was already very ridiculous for Boss Pei to only invest two million yuan previously. After all, Boss Pei had directly thrown a few million yuan into the water when FV Club went overseas. In comparison, the two million yuan that Boss Pei gave the Cold-Faced Lady was no different from feeding pigeons.
It was clear at a glance who was close and who was distant.
Yet, Boss Pei wanted to sell such a small amount of shares?
Boss Pei had not earned anything even after working so hard!
Wasn't that messing with people's mentality?
It would have been fine if this matter could be done secretly. Boss Pei had sold all his shares previously. This time, he was only selling a small number of shares that he had bought for two million yuan. Any random person would be able to take it.
However, the key was that he could not do it secretly.
As long as it involved the transfer of the company's shares, he had to inform the other shareholders according to the company's articles of association and register the change.
Boss Li had now invested in the Cold-Faced Lady and was also a shareholder of the Cold-Faced Lady.
Boss Li would definitely know about Boss Pei's sale. All the other shareholders of the company would know as well. All the investors who were watching would also receive the news.
Wouldn't that be bad?
Boss Li had just invested in the Cold-Faced Lady for less than two days. Meng Chang had not even warmed up the money in his hands when this suddenly happened. Who could withstand this!
After receiving this sum of money, Meng Chang had originally planned to go all out.
The entire script could continue to develop according to Meng Chang's plan as long as the investors were filled with confidence in the Cold-Faced Lady again and the game that pushed the valuation up could continue.
There might be some small twists and turns but the impact would not be huge.
However, Boss Pei's sudden move was like pouring a bucket of cold water on Meng Chang's head. It completely extinguished the small flame that had just ignited in his heart!
It was not a lot of shares, but it did not sound good!
Boss Pei had sold all of his shares of the Cold-Faced Lady twice in less than half a month …
What would others think of the Cold-Faced Lady's company if news of this got out?
Meng Chang had spent a lot of effort to suppress the matter of Boss Pei selling all of his shares previously. In the end, it would be difficult for even a god to save him if he did it again!
Meng Chang quickly realized the seriousness of this matter. He quickly said, "Director He, why are you doing this?"
"Tengda doesn't lack that much money, right?"
"How about this? Tell Boss Pei to make an exception. Give me another month, no, half a month. Even if it's a week, I'll sell it after a week, alright?"
Meng Chang thought that he would hide this matter first and stall for time. Then, he would use this time to find someone to take over and try to cook the rice. That way, he would be able to minimize the negative impact of Boss Pei selling his shares for the second time.
He Desheng sighed on the other end of the line. "I'm sorry. You know Boss Pei's character. There's no room for discussion."
Meng Chang's hand trembled slightly as he held his cell phone.
The Cold-Faced Lady's future was very bright ten minutes ago, but now, it suddenly became dark …
…
…
December 28th, Wednesday …
10 PM local time in Los Angeles.
On the second floor of the internet cafe, Min Jingchao organized and saved the data table. He copied all of them onto his laptop and crushed the source files on the internet cafe's computer.
This might seem like making a mountain out of a molehill but he had to be careful. The contents of the team's training could not be leaked. This was equivalent to military secrets during wartime.
Min Jingchao stretched lazily after everything was done. His work was considered completed in stages.
"Brother Bao, it's been hard on you these two days," Min Jingchao said to Bao Xu, who was sitting beside him.
Bao Xu shook his head. "No, no, no. It's not hard at all. I think I can accept it if every trip in the future is the same as this one … "
At first, Bao Xu felt like a bolt out of the blue when he heard that he was coming to Los Angeles. However, he realized that it was much more comfortable than his previous trips overseas!
He would stay in a five-star hotel at night and go to a nearby internet cafe during the day. Apart from doing data analysis and researching tactics, he could also play games.
He might be going overseas but he did not need to check in at various scenic spots. That was very comfortable!
It would not be unacceptable if he could stay in a hotel or an internet cafe in a new city every time he went overseas like this.
Thus, Bao Xu had put in a lot of effort in the data analysis process this time and helped Min Jingchao a lot.
The team members were still playing mock competitions and continuing to perfect their tactical routines.
Tomorrow was Thursday. It was also the official start of the IOI World Finals group stage. The schedule for the IOI World Finals this time was different from GOG's international invitational tournament.
In order to ensure that teams could enter the top eight in the weaker competition zones, Chrétien decided to adopt the rule of 'first seeded guaranteed entry'.
There were a total of 16 teams this time. Four of them were first seeded and guaranteed entry to the top eight. The other 12 teams were divided into four groups. The three teams in each group would play a double loop of 'BO1'. In the end, only the top team in the group would be able to advance.
After that, the top eight would draw lots again. There would be no avoidance mechanism for the same competition zone. They would fight whoever they drew.
FV Club was the first seeded team in the country. They would start from the top eight. The group stages had nothing to do with them. What's more, their opponents in the top eight had not been decided.
However, that did not mean that they could let their guard down.
The team members still had to maintain high-intensity training to ensure their condition. The data analysis team also had to make the best use of their time to study the tactical playstyles of the various teams in the group stages to ensure that there was no problem with their understanding of the version.
If they could not make sufficient preparations in the group stages, they might have to be eliminated in the first round from the top eight.
All in all, the real battle was about to begin.
…
At the same time, on the first floor of the internet cafe.
The other two clubs had also ended their training for the day. They packed up their belongings and walked back.
For the past few days, the training schedules of the two clubs were the same. They would basically train until 12 PM every day before leaving.
The daily training schedule was mainly to play mock competitions, review mock competitions, hold meetings to discuss tactics, play high-end games to maintain their feel, and so on.
Since the group stages would officially begin tomorrow, they had to go back earlier today to rest as much as possible.
When they arrived at the entrance of the internet cafe, everyone pretended not to see FV Club's minibus as usual when they saw it.
At the beginning, the leaders of the two clubs had specially studied FV Club's training time and deliberately staggered to avoid awkward scenes.
However, they later realized that there was no need to deliberately avoid it. FV Club trained longer than them almost every day!
Both clubs woke up around 10 AM and came to the internet cafe to train after having lunch in the hotel. However, every time they came, they would see that the minibus was already parked at the entrance of the internet cafe.
The two clubs usually left around 12 o 'clock in the evening, and the minibus was still there when they left.
That was why the leaders and players of the two clubs were very confused.
What exactly was FV Club practicing by leaving early and returning late every day?
These two clubs woke up late not because they were lazy, but mainly because they followed the schedule when they were training in the country. There was no one in the high levels in the morning, and there were no mock competitions to play. There was no point in waking up early.
What's more, a person's energy was limited. Training for too long might affect one's condition, and the efficiency of training might not be high.
On the other hand, FV Club practiced from the morning to the wee hours, forming a stark contrast to them.
The two leaders were very curious. There were a few times when they pretended to pass by unintentionally, wanting to sneak a peek at the second floor to see how FV Club's training was going. In the end, they were guarded by four conscientious bodyguards as expected. They did not get any useful information at all.
That made the two clubs even more curious.
One of the team members said in confusion, "FV Club might only sleep for six to seven hours a day. They seem to be training the rest of the time. What are they training for? Can their bodies take it? "
The other team members obviously had the same doubts.
FV Club was really too hardworking, making them look like salted fish.
The leader quickly said, "Everyone, don't take it to heart. The key to training is efficiency, not time. There's a good saying that many people are using their tactical diligence to cover up their strategic laziness. "
"Don't worry, everyone. After asking around, I've basically confirmed that FV Club did not play mock competitions with FRY or any other foreign clubs. It's even a question whether they played high-end RANK."
"They don't have super accounts, but we can't rule out the possibility that they bought accounts."
"At most, these people would only play mock competitions with SUG and their own Team Two. No matter how much they play, they are just two lousy chess pieces. The more they play, the worse they get. They won't improve much. "
"Alright, everyone, stop staring at FV Club. The group stages will officially begin tomorrow. Everyone, stay in good condition and achieve the results of our mock competition."
"We might not be able to beat strong teams like FRY now, but we have improved since the beginning. Our grouping this time is not bad. Everyone will play steadily according to the rhythm and routine of the mock competition. It won't be a problem for us to enter the top eight in the group stage. "
On the way back to the hotel, the leader cheered them on, afraid that the team members' mentality would be affected.
Ever since they arrived in Los Angeles, the people from FV Club seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally messing with the mentality of the players of these two clubs.
They sat in business class, stayed in a luxurious five-star hotel, rented the second floor of an internet cafe, hired cars and bodyguards to send them around the entire time. What was even worse was that the three cameramen worked with high intensity. Apart from taking photos, they also edited videos every day. FV Club's official Weibo did not stop. They posted at least three or four posts a day.
Many people were criticizing but the official Weibo was completely unmoved. They would update as they should. At most, they would blacklist those with especially bad mouths.
In the end, the haters were tired of criticizing. They were all accumulating their strength and waiting for FV Club to lose before they went all out.
After a few days of training, the other two clubs felt a little sour seeing the members of FV Club eating and drinking well.
It was the same today. It was already early in the morning. The breeze on the street was a little cold. Everyone unknowingly quickened their pace.
One of the team members suddenly thought of something and said, "Sigh, are the people from FV Club going to change to our hotel today?"
The competition would officially begin tomorrow. Finger Games would provide food and lodging for all the participating clubs.
Long Yu Corporation had paid for the food and lodging of these two clubs previously. In the future, they would have to change to the rooms provided by Finger Games. Thus, everyone changed rooms at noon today.
What's more, the other clubs had arrived one after another in the past two days and checked into the Marriott Hotel.
Logically speaking, the members of FV Club should have changed over, right?
Finger Games provided food and lodging. Wouldn't all the money be wasted if they did not stay?
The other team members clearly hadn't considered this question before. They looked at each other, their eyes revealing traces of anticipation.
That's right, there was no reason not to stay!
Previously, Finger Games did not provide food and lodging. It was one thing for them to pay for themselves to stay in a luxurious hotel. Now that Finger Games provided food and lodging, did they have to continue paying for themselves?
Wasn't that a little too extravagant?
If everyone stayed at the Marriott Hotel together, everyone's food and lodging conditions would be the same. FV Club might still have chartered cars and bodyguards, but at least the psychological impact on the other two clubs would be slightly reduced.
However, before everyone could finish their sweet dreams, they saw the black minibus drive past and stop steadily at the entrance of the Ritz Carlton Hotel opposite.
The members of FV Club alighted and entered the hotel lobby one after another. They did not even look at the Marriott Hotel.
Obviously, FV Club would stay here during the competition and would not move to the Marriott Hotel.
Their expectations were dashed.
The members of the two clubs entered the lobby of the Marriott Hotel silently. Their mentality, which had finally stabilized, fluctuated again …
…
…
December 29th, Thursday, 9 AM.
IOI's global finals were about to officially begin at 11 AM in Los Angeles, which was 3 AM in China.
In the Ritz Carlton Hotel, the members of FV Club were doing basic fitness training in the hotel's gym.
After arriving in Los Angeles, the team members still maintained good fitness habits. It was precisely because of their regular work and rest schedule and good physical condition that they could maintain a better state and focus. Their training time was longer and more efficient every day.
The accompanying team doctor paid close attention to the team members' condition to prevent them from overtraining.
After all, fitness now was not to train until they were exhausted and grow muscles. It was only to maintain their body in a good state, increase their focus in the competition, and move their muscles and bones. If they were too tired, it would affect the training effect.
The team doctor had to ensure that the team members were in their best condition.
In the hotel's resting area, the coach and data analysis team were studying the competition that was about to begin today.
The schedule for this competition was relatively strange because they had to ensure that the first seed of each division would enter the top eight.
There were a total of 12 teams and four groups in the group stage. They would play a double cycle of 'BO1', and the first place in each group would qualify.
There would be a total of four days, from Thursday to Sunday. There would be six matches a day. On Sunday, the group stages would all be over and the top eight would be drawn.
As for why the first match was held at 11 in the morning, no one really understood.
According to GPL's habits, they usually played during the prime time from afternoon to night. However, Finger Games probably considered that there were too many spectators in the venue. They were afraid that it would be inconvenient for the audience to leave if there was a bug in the competition or if it was delayed for too long due to other reasons. Thus, the time was slightly earlier.
The venue for the competition this time was a famous local large stadium. It could accommodate nearly 20,000 people and was very famous worldwide.
Finger Games was obviously determined to use the global finals to regain their dignity this time. Thus, they spared no expense.
The prize pool for IOI's global finals this time was three million US dollars. At the same time, Finger Games had also specially produced a skin. 25% of the sales of the skin was also included in the overall prize pool.
In terms of the distribution of the prize pool, the champion would get 50%, the runner-up would get 15%, the third and fourth would get 7.5% each, the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth would get 2.5% each, and the remaining eight teams that did not qualify for the group stages would share the remaining 10%.
In other words, the prize pool was slightly better than GOG's international invitational tournament. It was also better in terms of venues.
After all, Finger Games had always been affected by Tengda. They had wanted to hold the global finals for a long time, but they had been repeatedly interrupted by Tengda and had not been able to do it.
This time, they had finally worked hard to organize the world finals. They had to surpass GOG on the stage even if they had to sacrifice everything. This was a matter of face.
Wu Yue looked at the time and saw that it was about time. He asked Manager Lu to call the team members back to their rooms to wash up. Then, he came down for breakfast and prepared to leave for the venue to attend the opening ceremony.
FV Club's competition would not start until next week. However, this week, the team members would also selectively go to the venue to watch a few key battles. They would see the other teams' playing styles and standards and prepare in advance.
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