League of Legends: Reborn in Season 3, Tuning the Entire League

Chapter 93 Head Coach? No, the boss is warming up!
With the tweet announcing the million-dollar sponsorship fee, Jiang Ming and his NXG have once again become the hottest focus in the e-sports circle, shining like a star, attracting everyone's attention at all times.

Cooling down the flow?

nonexistent!

Some people are born with a knack for generating buzz.

For a time, the e-sports circle was bustling with activity, and many teams even took the initiative to seek advice, hoping to find a way to get out of their financial difficulties and at least not be on the verge of disbanding at any time.

Jiang Ming welcomes all such requests and helps whenever he can, as his original goal was to expand the e-sports industry, attract capital investment in advance, and promote the improvement of the domestic e-sports environment.

There's a saying that goes, "Make as many friends as possible, and as few enemies as possible."

You can't be drinking and eating meat while your peers are starving. If no one in the industry wants to hang out with you, you won't last long.

Of course, in addition to his e-sports peers, many media outlets, large and small, also caught wind of the news and came knocking with their cameras and microphones, wanting to conduct in-depth interviews with this young college student millionaire.

Faced with this overwhelming attention, Jiang Ming remained calm, deflecting each one until he finally accepted a written interview from a media outlet "friendly" invited by his alma mater.

Jiang Ming could figure out what the school was planning to do next with a snap of his fingers. As the saying goes, if you don't occupy the battleground of public opinion, someone else will. The news that Tencent was pushing online was ultimately just a number. Once the discussion was started, the media should take the initiative to promote it. They should actively leak information to the outside world to satisfy public curiosity. This would not only provide free advertising for Jinling University's next quarter's admission brochure, but also help NXG gain social recognition in advance by associating with the university.

Gaming teams are seen as terrifying beasts by Chinese parents, so doesn't it sound much more prestigious to have esports clubs—emerging industry research targets and special support from top Chinese universities for outstanding student entrepreneurship projects?

Furthermore, I have received a lot of support from my alma mater during the development of myself and NXG. I can't keep taking without giving back. I can't donate hundreds of millions of yuan to the school to build a new building for the time being, but I can cooperate with some publicity work.

Although the school invested in me because it valued my potential, as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words, and I have indeed received many benefits from the school.

One should not be too saccharine and become ungrateful.

Speaking of NXG, they were able to secure substantial sponsorships from businesses and effortlessly trend on social media again. They really have to thank the executives at Tencent Sports for this.

The people in charge of the LPL probably never expected that, despite facilitating numerous collaborations between teams and businesses, the team that would ultimately reap the biggest commercial benefits was the newly formed NXG team.

However, as the operator of the League of Legends game, Tencent Sports meticulously organized the LPL league in order to further expand the game's influence.

Among the many professional esports teams, the newly established NXG team has stood out and reaped considerable rewards in terms of commercial endorsements.

Regardless of Tencent Sports' considerations, even if it's simply to establish a model case, it will spare no effort to tell the NXG story in a brilliant way, especially to conduct comprehensive and thorough publicity and promotion to those outside the industry.

When the news of NXG receiving a million-dollar sponsorship was released, it instantly attracted the attention of people outside the esports industry, and the esports industry and the NXG club became the focus of everyone's attention.

Those who were initially unaware of the situation, only knowing that a company had spent millions to sponsor a gaming team, began to look on with curiosity; and many companies were also attracted by the bold moves of Logitech and other companies, and began to study the LPL league, which had only been held for two weeks, and the e-sports professional league system behind it that was closely connected with young people.

This in-depth research was remarkable. After conducting specific research and analysis, especially when the sales growth data of Youchen Foods' new product, launched only a year ago, was clearly presented, countless businesses were shocked to discover that if the product positioning is suitable, the effect of advertising in the e-sports field can be far better than advertising on television!
Every LPL match, whether online or offline, attracts a real number of viewers, and the increase in product sales brought about by the event advertising by Youchen Foods is also real.

Just as Jiang Ming had predicted, once the first company dared to "take the plunge," countless people in society began to remove their prejudices against the e-sports industry. The enormous potential of this industry was gradually discovered, and a virtuous cycle was thus initially formed.

Of course, for those businesses that always adhere to the principle of "no profit, no action," although Logitech and a few other companies have joined forces to sponsor a million-dollar event and gained a lot of traffic, there is still an element of chance involved. It will take some time to observe them before they can enter the e-sports field on a large scale.

In particular, the NXG team, which has become a sponsor of several companies, is undoubtedly the focus of close attention. Those who are interested want to see how much real return it can bring to its sponsors.

Jiang Ming did not disappoint the sponsors who had spent real money. On the morning of the third day, before the buzz about the game team receiving a million-dollar sponsorship fee had died down, a simple adjustment to the competition roster immediately reignited the online discussion.

NXG Esports Club hereby announces roster changes for next week's LPL regular season match against IG:

Good morning to all NXG team fans!

"Next week, our NXG Esports Club will face off against the IG team in an exciting match. In order to field our best lineup and showcase our strength and style on the field, after comprehensive evaluation and careful consideration by the coaching staff, we have made the following adjustments to the roster for this competition, and hereby announce the team's roster:"

I. Team Members

Top laner: NXG-norsha (Song Yuan)
Jungler: NXG-stone (Shi Zhenyu)

Mid Laner: NXG-JM (Jiang Ming)
AD: NXG-sorry (Xu Jing)
Support: NXG-door (Kongran)
Substitute: NXG-yihan (Wu Zhiqiang)

Head Coach: JM (Jiang Ming)
Team Manager: Lin Jingyi
Team Leader: Chen Muxin
……

Yes, in just one day, the highly efficient senior student Lin successfully recruited a beautiful and charismatic senior student who was about to graduate to replace her as the team leader at the club.

However, since the club's commercial expansion has only just begun, Lin Jingyi felt it was unnecessary to spend more money hiring people, so she continued to hold the position of team manager for the time being.

NXG has been in the spotlight these past few days, and the club's official Weibo account already has a considerable number of followers.

So, as soon as the personnel changes were announced, the comments under the official Weibo post immediately increased at a visible speed.

[Personnel adjustments, Water Law?]

Wait, wait, am I seeing things? How did NXG's owner end up on the mid-laner's team? It's impossible for them to have the same name.

[Wow, the person upstairs is obviously a new fan. JM himself is a professional player.]

[Fun fact: NXG-JM is the number one ranked player on the Chinese server's ladder.]

[Another interesting fact: 50% of all players in the league have probably watched JM's beginner tutorial videos.]

[Finally, the long-awaited head coach's warm-up session is here!]

[Hehehe, it's been months since we made it into the LPL, JM, you've finally decided to play!]

Is it possible that this is a task assigned by the sponsors? (laughs)

[JM: Cough cough, I didn't want to either, but they just gave me too much.]

[Tickets in Wuhu are selling like hotcakes! I'm going to see JM play next week!]

[(Screenshot) While the people upstairs were still discussing, I, an old man, had already used my 20 years of single-life-skill-fast reflexes to snag a picture.]

【! ! ! 】

【Seriously? Why are so many tickets gone in just a few minutes?】 Since the LPL's inception, including the preseason, today's tickets have sold out the fastest ever.

The discussion under the official Weibo account, carrying the lingering warmth of the previous million-dollar sponsorship, quickly spread to major e-sports forums. A hashtag titled #Head Coach ≠ Boss Taking Off His Suit and Playing the Game Personally# once again surged to the top of the trending discussion list at an unimaginable speed.

Those in the same industry who witnessed this scene were stunned.

Seriously, NXG, can you guys just shut up for a bit?
Yesterday it was a million-dollar sponsorship, and today it immediately follows with the head coach warming up and the owner, who is ranked number one in the national server, personally playing in the match.

You really can't bear to see investors lose even a penny, can you? No one can outmarket you!
Alright, no need to consider or wait and see anymore. Just based on the trending topics these past two days, and the terrifying discussions that will arise from one of JM's bosses playing in the upcoming match, the companies sponsoring NXG will definitely not lose any money.

"Traffic, traffic, and more traffic!"

"In short, the businesses that sponsor NXG must not be allowed to operate at a loss!"

Just when players thought the NXG personnel changes and the official Weibo post by the boss to warm up the discussion were over, the addition of a mobile data package that evening reignited the flames once again.

Sina Weibo!

Wang Gongzi @NXG Esports-JM: "Hey bro, what do you mean? I thought we had no grudge against each other?"

"If you want to play, choose another team, like WE, why did you pick IG?! (sharp, explosive JPG)"

NXG Esports - JM@Wang Gongzi: "(Sorry JPG) Ahem, is that even possible? It's probably because the sponsors gave too much money (laughs)."

"It's none of my business! We're opponents on the field and friends off the field. If you want trouble, Mr. Wang, I'll expose you one by one: @Logitech @Panpan @Daliyuan @ThreeSquirrels..."

At this moment, countless business operations managers, whose superiors were simultaneously monitoring NXG and Jiang Ming, the college student boss, had a multitude of huge question marks on their heads.

"Wow, you can do marketing like this?"

……

Inside a high-end barbershop in Shanghai.

Zhu Xiaolong carefully moved the clippers around the back of his regular customer's neck, his expression very serious, as if he was afraid of ruining the customer's haircut because he was new to the job.

"Hey Xiaolong, aren't you that Diamond 1 god from Ionia? Haven't you ever thought about going pro or something?"

The young customer sitting in the chair started talking out of boredom. He was the owner of a breakfast shop nearby, and he was willing to give a haircut to a barber apprentice because the apprentice would occasionally play ranked games with him.

"Let me tell you, Xiaolong, playing professionally is really promising. You know that JM, right?"

"I know!" Zhu Xiaolong, whose attention was still on his hairstyle, replied softly, "Brother, don't move your head."

Some of the foam residue from the blade splashed onto the front of Zhu Xiaolong's overcoat. After finishing the shaping of the left side of his head, he finally picked up on the other person's topic.

"The number one player in the Ionia region, a player with terrifying strength."

Zhu Xiaolong did not do well in junior high school and his family was not well-off, so he dropped out of school to work. Now he has finally learned a skill and he cherishes his life with room and board and a monthly salary of 600 yuan.

"That's not what I said!"

"Haven't you all seen the news? JM founded an esports team called NXG, and in just two weeks since they entered the LPL main tournament, they've already secured millions in sponsorship fees."

"The person also received key project support from Jinling University, which was even reported on Jiangsu Province's midday news."

The breakfast shop owner looked at the barber shop owner behind the counter, who was struggling in Summoner's Rift, and said with a smile, "Hey Lao Li, say something! Xiao Long really has the talent. He spends all his time learning from you and has reached Diamond without much time to play ranked games. If he keeps working hard, he might even reach Challenger."

"Wouldn't it be better to make a career out of this than to be a barber apprentice here?"

"Hey, stop making noise, I'm in the middle of a raid."

"Holy crap, why are they all focusing on killing me, the AD carry, during team fights? This is toxic..."

"Waaaaah, please don't push me, please don't push me, give me another chance, give me another chance, damn it... a bunch of point slaves."

As the red light symbolizing failure flashed on the computer screen, the barber grumbled as he took off his headphones.

I mentally gave the five blue team players a million middle fingers.

"Old Wang, what did you just say?"

“I said, should we try to persuade your distant relative to try pursuing a professional e-sports career?”

The breakfast shop owner said sincerely, "You know, no matter how good your haircut is, it's just a matter of accumulating experience for a decade or so to open your own shop and make a living. You also saw the news on TV yesterday about the popularization of the e-sports industry. The players of the game team can earn two or three thousand yuan a month just from their basic salary, with room and board provided. In the future, there will be income from commercial sponsorships and brand value. It seems like the prospects are good."

"It's one thing for us two buddies not to have much talent, but Xiaolong is such a strong jungler, it would be a shame not to give him a try."

"Hmm... Xiaolong, what do you think?" After pondering for a while, although he was the one who brought the other out of the village to work and make a living, and there was also a distant relative relationship between them, he couldn't really make any decisions for the other.

"Uncle...I..."

Zhu Xiaolong stopped cutting his hair and swept the customer's hair off his shoulder to the ground, but the image of watching the LPL match in the store last week flashed through his mind.

That exhilarating experience was something he had never felt before while learning to cut hair.

As dusk crept into the glass doorway, Zhu Xiaolong, as if having made up his mind, declared, "I want to give it a try!"

"Haha, then go ahead. If it doesn't work out, just come back and work for me again."

"Great, great! Once we succeed, we'll have something to brag about. We're a man who's duo-queued with professional players."

"Go away, I'm the uncle of a professional gamer."

　(P.S. Zhu Xiaolong started as a jungler)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)