Believe me, I really am a professional League of Legends player.

Chapter 150 The whole internet is in an uproar! U.TES is established! (1.07 views, please subscribe)

The factory manager picked up his phone and saw the message from Wei Shen. He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead, instantly feeling embarrassed.

"Oh no, oh no, I forgot about that..." he groaned under his breath.

Wei Shen had indeed mentioned to him before that he wanted Li Fan to form a PUBG team with him, but at that time they were playing in the Spring Finals, and after winning the Spring Finals, the Mid-Season Invitational was next...

In addition, Abu told him not to get involved yet, and to wait until the boss and Li Fan finished talking, so he never had a chance to tell Li Fan these things...

As a result, with the celebrations after winning the championship, returning home, and adjusting, he completely forgot about it!
Wei Shen must have seen them return to China and waited a long time before coming over to ask.

The factory manager quickly typed a reply to Wei Shen.

【My bad! I'm so sorry! I got so busy and kept putting it off that I completely forgot about it, my bad! Don't worry, I'll definitely talk to Li Fan tonight and make sure I pass on the message!】

Since the club hasn't made any move, it means it's possible.

The factory manager plans to mention it to Li Fan today.

After sending it, the factory manager also sent a kowtow and apology emoji.

This is really not a very ethical way to do things; they're trying to poach talent from Hubei all the way to Beijing!

At the LGD base, Wei Shen looked at Clearlove's reply and the apology emoji, and was speechless at first, then couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.

After winning the Mid-Season Invitational, the factory manager didn't seem as serious as I remembered.

"This guy... really forgot." He muttered to himself, not so much angry as he was amused and exasperated.

Based on his understanding of the factory manager, it was definitely not intentional.

[Okay, I'll wait for your good news. It would be best if it could be done in time.] Wei Shen replied to the factory manager immediately.

In fact, as long as a cooperation can be achieved in the end, even if there are some minor setbacks in the process, as long as the outcome is good, that's fine.

Wei Shen was very calm. After all, he was prepared to represent LGD if he couldn't form a team.

After all, no one can become fat overnight; we can take it slowly.

He then turned his gaze to Li Fan's live stream on the screen, watching Li Fan control the game character and wreak havoc in the airport area.

"This guy... he plays everything like he's cheating," Wei Shen thought to himself.

With Li Fan joining the team, his skills and experience, coupled with the massive traffic that defies common sense, mean that his ideal PUBG team is already halfway to success!
The remaining task is to persuade Li Fan and finalize the specific details of the cooperation.

……

"Someone's sniping me on the overpass." A bullet whizzed past him, but Li Fan calmly used the wreckage of an abandoned plane to get closer, raised his gun, aimed, and fired in bursts!
The player wielding a Kar98k on the overpass was instantly shot in the head.

"If you don't have the skill, don't even think about aiming at people with this 98k. It's not as good as the current rifles."

"So many people want to break up the fight? Then let everyone see what it means to blow up a car with a grenade!" Li Fan watched the jeep rushing towards him, pre-loaded a grenade, calculated the timing, and a precise pre-emptive grenade detonated with a bang just as the jeep was about to reach the cover!

The rest of the time became his personal show.

Whether it's close-quarters urban combat with hip-fire, precise mid-to-long-range bursts, or psychological maneuvering using terrain and projectiles in the final rounds, he handles it all perfectly.

Viewers watched as the kill information in the upper right corner of the screen kept refreshing, completely overwhelmed by the name EDG-Unreal.

The final round was a 1v1.

Although his opponent was lying prone in the grass like a camper, Li Fan could see him clearly through the 8x scope.

The viewers in the live stream couldn't help but laugh and keep typing.

However, some people see this scene as if they are looking in a mirror...

Isn't it the same when they cower in the bushes until the final circle?
Waaaaah... I never expected to see such a heartbreaking scene while watching a live stream.

"boom!"

[EDG-Unreal uses Kar98K to headshot and kill lurenjia123]

Good luck, let’s eat chicken tonight!
A victory sign popped up in the center of the screen, while the kill count in the lower right corner froze at an astonishing number: 29!

Twenty-nine kills to win!

Holy crap!!! 29 kills?! I could play 60 games and still not get 29 kills!

[Holy crap... another wilderness massacre has begun.]

[A non-stop shooting spree!! The gunfire never stopped, this was so exhilarating!]

[I came here because of its amazing reputation, but Unreal Engine is just too much! Is this marksmanship even real? Why are other people's marksmen so good while mine is like a paramecium's.]

[As expected of Unreal Engine! This talent is outrageous... I genuinely didn't see anyone crouching in that bush.]

[I'm speechless! The Demon Lord has descended to earth! Every game I play seems to feature the Demon Lord!]

[I'm getting more and more excited for the Huya Bounty Tournament. Anyone want to invite Fan Ge to participate? If we formed a team, wouldn't we be unstoppable?]

I wonder which team he'll join. It feels like whichever team has him will win the championship.

If EDG were smart, wouldn't they just set up a PUBG division? Why not use this readily available nuclear weapon? It's perfectly normal for PUBG to host professional tournaments given its popularity...

[You're overthinking it. League of Legends is already incredibly popular and attracts so much attention. The World Championship is coming up, so having core players participate in a competition with such promising future prospects is like picking up a sesame seed and losing a watermelon.]

"You guys are exaggerating. This game is pretty simple. When you see someone, you just need to shoot them. It's just that running around the map is a bit tiring," Li Fan said with a smile as he looked at the comments.

This once again drew a barrage of comments like "???" and "Reported!"

[Aren't you telling me that winning in League of Legends is easy, just destroy the opponent's base?]

Um... yes, you win as long as you destroy the opponent's base.

Versailles' remarks prompted viewers in the live stream to reach for their wallets and shower him with virtual gifts.

Actually, everyone likes to hear boastful talk, but it's really ridiculous when someone you dislike says it, and you have no patience for it. When a contestant you like says boastful talk, it feels like you're the one doing it, and it's inexplicably satisfying.

The gift list on the side of the screen refreshed wildly, without stopping for a moment.

From the most ordinary "tiger food" and "blood bottles" to the valuable "money gun" and "magic book," and then to "treasure map," they all soared into the air one after another, with dazzling special effects covering almost the entire live broadcast screen.

[A fan of Unreal Engine gifted me a treasure map!]

[The e-sports legend Guo Degang gifted a banknote gun!]

[The factory manager's little piglet gifted him Magic Book 66!]

【…】

The gift frenzy brought real popularity.

The number of viewers in the live stream skyrocketed like a runaway horse, eventually breaking through a staggering 150,000!

This wasn't even during peak weekend hours; it was on a regular weekday morning!
This number of online viewers is enough to surpass the peak viewership of all top-tier live streamers...

After winning the Mid-Season Invitational, Li Fan's influence has reached an unimaginable level.

Such an exaggerated level of popularity and gift revenue naturally caught the attention of the official Huya platform.

The operations manager beamed with joy as he looked at the popularity curve in the backend that was climbing almost at a right angle, and at the constantly updated total amount of gifts.

No matter how many League of Legends streamers Douyu has, they all combined are not as good as Li Fan alone.

You retired professional players will only be forgotten by everyone as time goes by.

As long as Li Fan remains a professional player and achieves results, his fame will only grow. Not to mention the popularity he gains from playing other games...

So, it's no joke that one person can be equivalent to an entire platform.

"Quickly, assign two more super moderators to Unreal's live stream to keep an eye on it and make sure there are no technical problems during peak traffic periods."

Also, get that MSI champion's return special event that we planned to do back on the agenda immediately!

They've always wanted to hold a Mid-Season Invitational championship event before the regular season starts.

Let me livestream...

I just couldn't think of anything good to stream.

After all, it's not very interesting to play as a simple group of five. Five professional players playing together would definitely result in a massacre. It's best to come up with a show that's very fun to play.

Looking at the explosive popularity and gifts, Li Fan smiled and said, "Thank you all so much for the gifts. It's all very generous of you. But while you can admire them, please don't let them affect your life. I'm not short of money. I have a salary and a signing fee from the platform."

"So as long as you occasionally check out my live stream, I'm guaranteed to keep getting paid based on my popularity..."

"I definitely can't say how much I earn; that's all confidential."

The reason why I can't say is actually quite simple...

Because everyone can judge the grade and penalty for breach of contract based on the basic salary.

It's impossible for your salary to be only 10,000 or 20,000 yuan while the penalty for breach of contract is 50 or 60 million yuan.

In this situation, such a contract cannot be legally supported...

Therefore, the amount of the penalty for breach of contract can be determined based on the salary level.

If a club with the resources is willing to accept the offer, it's not impossible for them to poach the player.

Therefore, apart from the players themselves, no one else knows the club's salaries.

Similarly, the annual salaries that are revealed online are often hard to ascertain as they appear to be true or false...

Li Fan then played three more rounds of PUBG.

Although he couldn't replicate his 29-kill chicken dinner, he performed consistently in every game, maintaining a kill count of over 15, and successfully won two chicken dinners and came in second place once.

The fluid gameplay and clear game strategy kept the audience thoroughly entertained...

Other streamers don't have this kind of program effect at all.

Even those who use cheats don't play this smoothly.

It relies purely on eyesight and hearing, and the results are completely different from when you first know where someone is.

More than an hour flew by in the midst of the intense battle.

Li Fan glanced at the time in the lower right corner of the computer screen; it was almost noon.

"Alright, guys, it's about time. My stomach's starting to rumble. Let's grab some ramen to fill our bellies later," Li Fan said into the microphone. "I've been playing all morning and my skills are hot. The results have been pretty good."

I gained 666 points in one morning of learning.

This number is still quite good, considering that this is just a regular live stream, and the impact of winning a championship is not something that happens every time.

"Don't worry, everyone. I'll definitely be broadcasting again this afternoon. The exact time will depend on the plane tickets you receive. Thank you all for your gifts and company today. See you this afternoon."

After saying that, he decisively clicked the end of the live stream button.

After all, if they continued talking, the person wouldn't be able to leave.

The live stream screen went black instantly, but the people in the live stream room didn't rush to leave. Instead, they kept sending messages to communicate.

Goodbye, Fan-ge! See you all this afternoon!

[Brother Fan! I order you to smash the factory manager's balls a hundred times. He seems to have some mental issues lately; he hasn't streamed even once.]

Time to eat!

[Disgusting!]

[Continue the rampage across Erangel this afternoon!]

[Put your phone on the table and wait for a notification.]

This live stream was so enjoyable, packed with useful information! I feel like I'm going to dominate the game after get off work.

[I'm off! Time to slack off at work. I almost got caught by the boss.]

Although the audience was still reluctant to leave, they still typed farewell messages in the black screen of the live stream.

The live stream's popularity began to decline slowly, but it still remained at a very high level.

After all, many people feel that other people's live streams are not good, so they simply leave their own live streams running.

As soon as the live stream light comes on, you know that Li Fan has started broadcasting.

Li Fan took off his headphones, stretched, glanced at Clearlove who was still playing ranked games next to him, walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey Kai, I'm thinking of going to that Lanzhou noodle shop near the entrance for a bowl of noodles, wanna come along?"

After indulging in delicious food these past few days, it's time to adjust before eating in the cafeteria. Ramen is a good option; otherwise, I feel a bit overwhelmed by the cafeteria food.

The factory manager instinctively wanted to refuse, after all, the canteen was convenient... and that's how he got by.

But as he was about to speak, he suddenly remembered Wei Shen's instructions.

After all, the cafeteria is crowded and noisy, so it's not a good place to talk business. It's better to take advantage of the meal to talk to Li Fan.

"Okay, wait a minute, this game will be over soon, in three or four minutes at most." The factory manager immediately changed his mind, and his actions became more decisive.

Li Fan leaned against the table next to him and watched the factory manager play games.

Sejuani charged straight at anyone she saw without hesitation, and the team fight started easily, even though they were already in a winning position.

After all, the team with the advantage needs to have the ability to quickly end the game.

If it couldn't be done, it would take a long time, but the factory manager started applying pressure without hesitation, and everything became much easier.

That way, it will end very quickly.

Sure enough, less than five minutes later, the word "victory" popped up on the factory manager's screen...

Meanwhile, the Koreans inside were typing that if this girl had started a group chat like this earlier, everything would have been over long ago, and there wouldn't have been so much trouble.

However, the factory manager couldn't understand what his teammates were saying at all, and even if he had, it wouldn't have mattered.

It's just a ranking system... and this is a well-known flaw.

After all, I play a relatively steady and non-impulsive style.

"go!"

"Hey Kai, where are you guys going to eat? Can I come along?" iboy asked with a big smile.

"You're so young, how can you always be thinking about eating well and enjoying life? Just eat in the cafeteria."

"Oh..." iboy was glared at by the factory manager and sat back down in his original seat.

Li Fan is only a few months older than me, isn't he also quite young?
However, he also knew that Li Fan was currently the absolute senior member of the team, but he lacked seniority. If he had enough seniority, to be honest, even the factory manager would have to step aside.

This is why the factory manager calls him Brother Fan.

Li Fan and Ming Kai walked out of the EDG base side by side. To be honest, the sun was really hot, but it was still not as hot as Rio.

Frowning was acceptable, and there was a familiar Lanzhou noodle restaurant right next to the base. It wasn't crowded at this time, so they found a quiet spot to sit down.

"A bowl of beef stir-fried noodles, and a small bottle of Coke."

Li Fan, familiar with the place, placed the order, and the factory manager also requested the same configuration.

While waiting for the noodles, the factory manager took a sip of water and decided to get straight to the point.

"Li Fan, there's something I forgot about because I was busy. I'll tell you now." The factory manager rubbed his hands together. "You know Wei Shen, right?"

"I know him, he's LGD's mid laner, a prodigy, why are you suddenly mentioning him?" Li Fan immediately understood what was going on when he heard the ID.

After all, according to the current timeline, Wei Shen has already retired and transitioned into a professional PUBG player.

Then, in the morning, I said that anyone interested could contact me.

Wei Shen must have seen it and contacted the factory manager immediately.

"Well, back when we were playing in the Spring Finals, he contacted me and said he was quite interested in PUBG. He saw that you seemed interested too, so he wanted to ask... if it was possible for you two to team up and play in Huya's bounty tournament?"

Li Fan was surprised; it turned out that he had contacted the factory manager before the Spring Finals.

"I didn't mention it at the time mainly because I was thinking about the finals and then the Mid-Season Invitational, so I forgot about it... I'll take this opportunity to remind you today."

At this moment, two steaming bowls of stir-fried noodles were served, their aroma filling the air.

Li Fan picked up his chopsticks and stirred the noodles, their aroma rising with the steam.

“That sounds good. I don’t have a team here either. Kai, can you give me Wei Shen’s WeChat? I’d like to chat with him on WeChat.”

Upon hearing this, the factory manager smiled and quickly took out his phone: "Okay! I'll send it to you right now! You two can chat on your own, I won't interfere."

Do they know about this club?

"Well, I know."

"No wonder the club wanted to set up a PUBG division; so that's why."

However, since he has already rejected Edward Zhu, it's uncertain whether the PUBG division will actually be established.

However, EDG will still have PUBG players in their lineup later on.

To be fair, with PUBG's current popularity being so outrageous, these clubs must be thinking about it, right?

The branch establishment should happen sometime earlier than expected.

If that's the case, it feels like the PUBG competition will have a larger scale than it does later on.

After all, there weren't many leagues before; it was mostly invitational tournaments.

Li Fan's phone vibrated just seconds after he sent the friend request, indicating that it had been accepted.

Immediately afterwards, Wei Shen's chat box popped up eagerly.

[Fan Shen, finally you're on the list! Did the factory manager tell you? Are you interested in that bounty tournament on Huya? If so, how about we team up? I've already recruited two people, you're the only one missing.]

You can feel Wei Shen's excitement and eagerness between the lines... after all, there are less than half a month left before the team registration deadline.

Of course, it's not impossible to join after the registration deadline, but that requires a team with substantial capital and a large user base.

Li Fan smiled as he read the message, and despite its harsh reality, he still asked the most crucial question.

[I'm interested, but GodV, are you planning to represent LGD, or should we form our own team?] He asked this question very directly.

If Wei Shen is representing LGD, then the nature of the partnership becomes a collaboration between the two clubs, which may even involve some commercial terms and restrictions, making him less free.

Moreover, EDG's strength is still much stronger than LGD's. Edward Zhu has already said that he wants to build a PUBG team around himself, so there is no need for him to go to LGD's club.

The pace is quite fast...

If it's the latter, then the degree of freedom is much higher, which better suits his desire for autonomy.

When Wei Shen saw this question, he remained silent for a moment.

In fact, LGD had also told him about their idea of ​​setting up a PUBG division.

But he gathered so many people just to build a team.

We're building our own team, not affiliated with any club. I've already found two other top-tier teammates; now we just need the strongest offensive player and core player, and I think you're the perfect candidate!

I'm not cut out to be a core member, you know that...

When Wei Shen saw this character, he naturally knew what it meant.

Li Fan can only play PUBG competitions part-time, as he has to avoid competing in them with League of Legends competitions.

So four people are definitely not enough; we need to bring in one more person.

But honestly, it's a bit difficult for him to make money playing professionally now.

After all, it's already 2017, and it's unrealistic to expect people to play professionally out of passion.

That would require securing sponsorships, but his fame has long since faded. Therefore, if Li Fan were involved, securing sponsorships would be easier.

That's actually what he came for...

It's best to play in the competition if I can, but it doesn't matter if I can't.

I understand. If you join, we can create another substitute.

Seeing Wei Shen's message of understanding and supplementary information about substitutes, Li Fan knew that the other party understood his core request: the PUBG competition should not affect the League of Legends competition.

But that's not enough; he needs more specific commitments and conditions.

"If I join your team, what can you offer me? Wei Shen, let's be frank."

EDG did consider establishing a PUBG division and offered very good compensation, but I declined. I value autonomy; you can't expect me to work for free, just for fun, can you?

After the message was sent, the "typing..." status at the top of the chat box remained for a long time, clearly indicating that Wei Shen was carefully considering how to reply.

After quite a while, Wei Shen's reply appeared, and it was very long.

To be honest, I assembled this team because I wanted to do it myself.

I've already started contacting sponsors. Once the lineup is finalized, especially once the news of your participation is released, I believe securing sponsorships will be much easier. We can then split the sponsorship fees proportionally.

As for compensation... how about it if you own 25% of the club's shares? You'll get a share of the commercial profits.

When Li Fan saw the message "25% of the shares" sent by Wei Shen on the screen, his heart sank again, and he even felt speechless.

Twenty-five percent?

He almost laughed angrily.

Yes, he understands that negotiations require back-and-forth maneuvering, and he also understands that Wei Shen, as the initiator, may want to take the lead.

However, asking for 25% upfront is not just asking for a refund; it's downright insulting.

Who is Li Fan?
He is a top-tier celebrity in the league who just won the MSI championship and FMVP, and is the most popular streamer on the live streaming platform.

Just as Wei Shen said, with his own fame and strength, he can easily attract sponsorships.

Is it really only worth 25%?
In terms of funds, although he is not a real estate tycoon like Ed Zhu, he can still make a considerable investment thanks to his live streaming contract and championship prize money.

While a 50% share isn't required, an initial share of around 40% demonstrates basic sincerity for cooperation.
Wei Shen's offer of 25% instantly made Li Fan feel that the other party might not have truly placed him in the position of an equal partner.

More likely, they want to leverage his fame but are unwilling to pay an equal price.

"I was actually quite keen to talk to you..."

That's true... After 4AM was established, the veterans didn't have any shares; only Wei Shen did. Since he wanted to build this team, he naturally didn't want to give up his shares.

Suddenly, I realized that instead of going through all that trouble to haggle with Wei Shen and try to figure out what he was thinking, I might as well build my own team.

With his current influence, as long as he makes a move, is he afraid of not finding capable teammates and partners?

The money, though not much, is enough to invest in a PUBG team, since it doesn't cost much to build a team without a league right now.

He brings fame and popularity with him.

The biggest problem is management. As an active League of Legends player, he doesn't have much energy to deal with team operations.

But this problem is actually quite easy to solve.

You can hire professional managers and establish effective management systems...

After all, things are not like they used to be. There are many professionals now, but the initial stage of building a team can be very troublesome.

This idea gave me another option, but ideally I'd have some shares, and be a mascot soldier, just showing up during competitions—that would be perfect...

Li Fan ultimately declined Wei Shen's suggestion.

Although the idea of ​​building his own team was tempting, the initial hassle and management challenges did give him a headache.

Things seem to have reached a temporary stalemate.

However, that very evening, EDG Club received two uninvited guests.

The reception room was brightly lit.

Ono, who had just taken over as the manager of EDG's League of Legends division, wore a professional smile.

Sitting opposite him was a representative from Topsports, led by Zhang Xiufeng, the head of the marketing department at the previous meeting, with his excited assistant Xiaolin beside him.

“Manager Ao, I apologize for bothering you.” Zhang Xiufeng said politely, “We are here today mainly to discuss a cooperation project with your club’s Unreal players.”

"Oh? I wonder what kind of cooperation project it is that requires us to talk to our players directly? Usually, these kinds of matters are handled by the club."

"I understand, I understand." The person in charge smiled and leaned forward slightly. "However, this project is a bit special. We hope to have a face-to-face conversation with the Unreal team members."

“This… is probably not in accordance with the rules.” Ono waved his hand. “Li Fan is a contracted player of our EDG. All his commercial activities and match arrangements should be conducted within the framework of the club.”

"The content of our discussion will not affect the match schedule. As for commercial activities, the club and the players are equal, and it is not up to the club to do whatever it wants."

Their aggressive demeanor was clearly well-prepared; one could sense that if they didn't see Li Fan tonight, they wouldn't be so easily dealt with.

Ono took out his phone: "Then I need to ask the boss."

Zhang Xiufeng waved his hand.

After a while, Ono walked into the conference room.

"The boss agreed, but your conversation can't interfere with the League of Legends competition..."

A smile appeared on Zhang Xiufeng's face.

"We naturally understand that..."

……

Li Fan sat on the sofa in the conference room, listening to Xiao Lin explain their cooperation plan.

When he heard the key part, even Li Fan, with his current state of mind, couldn't help but sit up slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Topsports sincerely invites Unreal to join our newly formed PUBG division as the core and leader of the team."

Kobayashi adjusted his glasses: "To show our sincerity, we are willing to give you 60% of the shares in the newly established PUBG project subsidiary. You will become a joint owner of this company with Topsports."

"At the same time, as a player and partner of the club, you will enjoy a guaranteed salary of five million yuan per year, and prize money, commercial sponsorship income, etc. will be distributed separately according to the share ratio."

Sixty percent of the shares, a five million annual salary!

This is a huge move!
This is no longer a simple player contract or cooperation invitation; it's practically placing him in a partner position on par with Topsports!
A 60% stake means he will have absolute say and decision-making power in this PUBG team.

The five million annual salary is more like a sign of respect and security, indicating that Topsports recognizes his value as a professional player.

They really aren't stingy at all!
No wonder Top Esports paid six million for his brother without batting an eye back then.

Zhang Xiufeng, the marketing director who had been silent all along, spoke up at the opportune moment. "Mr. Li Fan, Topsports' determination to enter the e-sports field is firm, and our investment is by no means trivial."

"We believe that with your strength and influence, coupled with Topsports' mature operating system and brand endorsement, this PUBG team will quickly become a top team in China, and may even occupy a place in the international arena in the future. What we pursue is long-term success and the common enhancement of brand value... We care about the value of the brand."

"You can think about it first. If you agree, just call us. We can come over anytime to sign the contract with you. Of course, you can also have a lawyer review the contract when you sign it."

Topsports' headquarters are in Shanghai, which is why they arrived at the EDG club's doorstep tonight after their meeting yesterday.

After seeing off the sincere representatives from Topsports, Li Fan hadn't even had time to process everything when the conference room door was pushed open again.

Entering this time were Ono, whose expression was somewhat complicated, and behind him, his boss Ed Zhu, whose expression was much more solemn than during the negotiations that morning.

Clearly, Top Esports' sudden visit and the terms they offered have made the EDG leader uneasy.

He had to personally intervene and make a final effort.

"Li Fan, sit down." Ed Zhu's voice was lower than usual as he gestured for Li Fan to sit down, while he himself sat opposite him.

"I can roughly guess what the people from Top Esports talked to you about... They offered you a deal that was hard to refuse, right?"

Li Fan did not deny it, but simply looked at Ed Zhu calmly.

Edward took a deep breath and said, "I know you might feel that the club was just trying to tie you down with money, without giving you the respect and autonomy you wanted with that previous 15 million contract. Okay, now I'll give you a new proposal..."

Edward Zhu said, word by word, "I'll give you 30% of the shares in EDG Club. Also, your previous contract of 15 million is still valid. This is your double salary as a League of Legends player and a PUBG player."

After saying that, Edward Zhu stared intently at Li Fan's reaction.

In his view, the conditions were already extremely generous.

As a veteran powerhouse in the LPL, EDG possesses significant brand value and future development potential, especially given the scarcity and stability of LPL slots after the league's restructuring. The 30% stake in EDG carries substantial long-term value and prestige.

Not to mention the annual salary of 15 million.

However, Li Fan did not show the surprise that Edward Zhu had expected after hearing this.

He remained silent for a few seconds, then gently shook his head.

“Boss, thank you for your high regard. This offer is indeed very sincere.” Li Fan’s tone was very sincere, but his next words made Edward Zhu’s heart sink. “However, I still cannot accept it.”

"Why?" Edward almost blurted out, unable to understand. "Did Topsports offer more than that?"

Li Fan didn't say anything after that, he just nodded.

This shocked Eddard...

How could Top Esports actually bring out more things than they could theoretically?
After a long while, Edward Zhu let out a long sigh, a complicated smile appearing on his face.

“Okay… I understand.” He stood up and patted Li Fan on the shoulder. “People strive for better things. You have your own pursuits, and I understand.”

"If you ultimately decide to sign with Top Esports, be sure to read the contract terms carefully. If needed, the club has a lawyer we've worked with for a long time who can recommend you and help you with the process. After all, you're now part of EDG, so don't let yourself get taken advantage of outside."

"Thank you, boss..."

Leaving the conference room, Li Fan took a deep breath, his heart burning with excitement.

Top Esports' sincerity, GodV's invitation, and Edward Zhu... choosing one of these three has always been a viable option.

Without any hesitation, he took out his phone and found the number he had just saved.

The call was answered almost instantly.

"Hello? Mr. Li Fan?" came Xiao Lin's excited voice from the other end of the phone.

"It's me, Mr. Zhang and Mr. Xiaolin. I've thought about your proposal for tonight and I accept it. Now we... can talk about the details."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by an uncontrollable burst of joy: "That's wonderful! Fan Shen, no, Mr. Li! Welcome to the team! We can discuss this further anytime. Would tomorrow morning be convenient for you?"

"Sure, you can decide on the location and just send me the address."

The next day at 6 PM.

Countless office workers on their commute, and students pulling out their phones after school...

A trending search term began to climb at an astonishing speed.

#UnrealTeamFormsPUBGTeam#
"?????"

"What? Brother Fan is going to play PUBG professionally?"

"Just won the MSI championship, and now they've formed a PUBG team and aren't going to compete in the World Championship?"

"It's definitely clickbait, some marketing account is just spreading rumors to get clicks! Yesterday's live stream was just about finding people to participate in the Huya Bounty Tournament, and today it's become that a team has been formed?"

"Click on him and curse him to death!"

Countless fans of Li Fan, e-sports enthusiasts, and even casual observers were drawn to this headline.

Of course, they couldn't help but start cursing...

After all, it's a bit far-fetched even for Unreal Engine to imagine a League of Legends world champion player at the peak of his career suddenly going off to form a professional team for another game.

However, when they clicked into the trending topics and saw the top few popular Weibo posts, everyone was stunned.

It's a very clear photo.

The first photo clearly shows a private room in a high-end coffee shop in the background.

Li Fan was sitting on the sofa, smiling as he looked at the documents in his hands. Next to him sat a man who looked like a lawyer.

Across from them are two capable young men.

On the coffee table between the two parties were several documents that looked like contracts.

[Holy crap!? A contract?! Really signed?! Or is this some kind of prank?!]

[Wait, wait, wait! Zhang Xiufeng? The head of the marketing department at Topsports?]

[Topsports? Is that the Topsports that sells athletic shoes? Are they getting into esports now?]

Where did the photos come from? Did paparazzi sneak into the coffee shop?

[Is the person upstairs stupid? This is clearly a leak on purpose! It's just to create hype in advance!]

[Top Esports is amazing! They managed to get Fan Ge to join them? How much did they spend?]

[Wasn't it said that EDG was going to build their own division? How did Top Esports snatch it away?]

Li Fan's fan groups, major e-sports forums, and Tieba were almost immediately flooded with this topic.

This directly pushed the topic's popularity to new heights.

The hashtag "#UnrealTeamPUBGTeam" also surged from tenth place on the trending topics list during this explosive discussion, climbing to number one in just half an hour...

A newly registered account has come into view.

The name of this Weibo account is very simple, consisting of only a few English letters and a dot: U.TES
Its first Weibo post, published half an hour after it topped the trending searches, was extremely concise, consisting of only two words, but accompanied by a very meaningful picture.

Hello. //@U.TES

The logo's main structure cleverly incorporates the letters "U" and "T".

The shape of "U" is flamboyant and aggressive, like a sharp blade shooting out of the sky or unfolded wings, representing Unreal.

The "T" is transformed into a solid base and shield supporting the "U," with lines that are stable and full of power, representing Top Esports.

The team name is Top Esports Unreal, with Li Fan's ID deliberately placed at the beginning for emphasis.

As for the meaning, it's a direct translation: Topsports is extraordinary.

Topsports aims to create an extraordinary brand.

The overall color scheme combines Topsports' signature deep blue with the fiery gold commonly seen in esports, retaining the brand's composure while injecting the passion and vigor of esports.

This Weibo post was like a drop of water being poured into a boiling oil pan, instantly causing an explosion!
[Holy crap?! An official account?! They've officially announced it already?!]

[U.TES? Unreal-TES?]

[This logo design is great!!]

So it's confirmed! Fan Ge really has teamed up with Top Esports, and it's not just a player contract, it's a collaboration to build a team! The team name even starts with his name!

[@Topsports, come and claim your new son!]

The number of followers of the Weibo account “U.TES” began to skyrocket at a rate of tens of thousands per second.

Topsports' official Weibo account reposted this Weibo post from "U.TES".

Welcome to join the legendary @U.TES team and conquer new battlefields! //@U.TES: Hello.

Almost simultaneously, Li Fan, who had remained silent until now, finally updated his personal Weibo account.

He retweeted the Weibo post from "U.TES", which was equally concise.

New challenges are in place. //@U.TES: Hello.

The combined effect of these three Weibo posts was like three bombshells, pushing the atmosphere to its peak!

#U.TES Official Announcement#
#Top Esports PUBG Division#
#UnrealNewChallenge#
Related terms sprang up like mushrooms after rain, quickly dominating the top of the trending search list.

[Awesome!!! Fan Ge is awesome! Top Esports is awesome!]

[This is impressive! A separate sub-brand Weibo account! And the logo even starts with a "U"! This level of status is unmatched!]

When will we see U.TES make their debut in the Huya Bounty Tournament?! I can't wait!

[Double fan ecstasy! I love shopping at Top Esports, I'm a fan of both them and Fan Ge! This collaboration is amazing!]

(End of this chapter)