She chose the strategy with the most bullet comments.

However, he regretted asking the question as soon as it left his mouth. He had never heard of Su Mu in the Japanese team participating in international competitions, which meant Su Mu wouldn't even get a chance to play…

For a professional player, being a substitute is a load of rubbish.

嗏

When Su Mu was in the domestic youth training camp, she believed that she had not treated the other party unfairly, let alone exploited them, so there was no need to feel guilty.

"It was alright, I only guarded the water dispenser for about two and a half years."

Her light-hearted words caused the lips of everyone present to twitch, and then a dozen or so gloating glances were cast toward Liang Wenmei.

Even a fool could tell it was a cross-dressing performance, even with a hint of sarcasm.

That's the water dispenser!

For professional players whose youth is extremely precious, being relegated to the bench is no different from wasting time and waiting to die; it's as painful as not retiring but being unwanted by anyone.

If you have old acquaintances with whom you have a past conflict, that's fine.

With only one competitor, anyone would be happy.

The atmosphere fell silent. The thoughtful Zhao Lisi gave Zhou Xuemin and Zhang Xiaoyu a look and pulled them upstairs first.

The two understood each other and left the space to the protagonist.

Zhao Lisi knew she had no chance to play professionally; her age and talent were the issues that prevented her from progressing further.

As for Zhang Xiaoyu and the other two, they had a clear understanding of themselves. They knew that these people were unlikely to look for them, and they had no intention of entering the professional circle. They left in a very carefree and unreserved manner.

A few members of the professional team hesitated to speak upon seeing this, but didn't pay much attention.

"Now that you all know that I used to be in the industry, I'll get straight to the point without beating around the bush."

Su Mu crossed his arms, his expression unusually nonchalant, and said with a smirk, "First, I know my own worth, so there's no need to bring those underhanded tactics into the open; it's futile and only makes people dislike me. What I want to see is sincerity."

"Secondly, if you want to sign me, you must sign her, and the contract must guarantee her a starting position. Don't say your demands are too high or unreasonable. If we have problems with our form or performance, we can accept substitutions."

"Third, we do not accept three-year contracts, only one-year contracts."

"Finally, if you've thoroughly studied our international server performance, you should be able to see that we're holding back. If you think I'm trying to raise the price and use this as a reason to lower it, think what you will."

"We have the right to be arrogant. We have plenty of powerful foreign clubs contacting us. Our goal is the world championship; there's not much difference between domestic and international titles."

“Not everyone can accept or meet these conditions. Everyone, go back first today and discuss it with the people behind you who can make the decisions. We will stay in Shanghai for another five days.”

After saying that, Su Mu took Bai Wei's hand and disappeared into the elevator, leaving everyone with their backs to the camera.

It took everyone a while to recover from Su Mu's long speech. They couldn't help but look at each other with different expressions.

Some were annoyed, some were indifferent, and some were amazed.

On the bright side, she is very confident, which is consistent with her style of daring to make moves or perform amazing feats when she plays matches.

On the negative side, it's, as she said, arrogance.

But it must be admitted that she has the right to be arrogant.

……

Su Mu and his companion returned to their room. Faced with Zhao Lisi and the others' curious questions, Su Mu only gave a brief, general explanation.

"Brother Mu's words are so domineering!" Zhang Xiaoyu's eyes sparkled.

"That's fine then." Su Mu shook her head.

If she acts too approachable and unpretentious, or even seems eager to sign a contract, her image in their eyes will absolutely plummet.

Many people have that mentality: they respond better to force than gentleness. (Phosphorus)

People only become arrogant when they have ability; otherwise, they're seen as incompetent. Just like in the workplace, those who get promoted and receive raises are generally not the ones who work diligently and honestly.

"Which team are you interested in?" Zhou Xuemin asked.

Bai Wei smiled without saying a word, her gentle gaze fixed on Su Mu, appearing to defer to her opinion.

Her personality perfectly matches her appearance; she's gentle and kind, inside and out. Otherwise, that look in her eyes might have been misunderstood.

"Heh...we'll have to investigate further to know for sure; it's hard to say now," Su Mu chuckled.

Rather than focusing on increasing compensation, it's more about whether the team prioritizes business or winning.

147. Negotiation

Five days later, on the morning.

"Su Mu, you should think this through. No one will offer a higher price than RT. You used to work in the PUBG division, so you should know I'm not joking."

Liang Wenmei frowned deeply, looking at the short-haired girl sitting upright opposite her with a headache.

She's completely unresponsive. I really don't know what she went through in Japan; it's like her personality has changed completely.

In the past, she would obey any instructions without question, lacking any independent thought, and even if she had opinions, she would keep them to herself.

They are talented and skilled but not good at expressing themselves. Their behavior reflects a lack of self-awareness and self-confidence. They are also somewhat insecure in their interactions with others and unconsciously place themselves in a lower position.

Unlike now, her eyes are clear and bright, filled with confidence, even a touch of arrogance.

Those polite words and phrases had no effect on Su Mu; on the contrary, as they talked, the initiative would be taken away without her even realizing it.

With such a stark contrast between her inner and outer appearance, how can you blame her for not recognizing her before?

No!

"You haven't thought this through." Su Mu leisurely picked up her juice and took a sip.

So far, she has spoken with many clubs, but the results have been regrettable and frustrating.

She can't make concessions unless the team has something worth making concessions for.

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.

People with differing ideologies find it difficult to reach a consensus and work together to maximize their effectiveness.

Su Mu sighed inwardly.

In such a large league as LPL, are there no teams that truly prioritize commercial interests over business? They can't just go abroad and join other regions, can they?

If given a choice, who would willingly travel to another place?

“You’ve clearly stated your own value, so you should understand that each team’s budget isn’t unlimited. If you spend a lot of money to sign me, you can’t possibly sign Bai Wei again,” Liang Wenmei retorted.

“Alright, let’s move on to the second question.” Su Mu put down his cup and stared directly into the other person’s eyes. “Everyone knows that RT’s starting jungler Tulip and starting mid laner Youzi are both top-ranked players on the international server.”

"Did you sign me so that Youzi would rotate with me, or that I'd be your substitute, or perhaps...?"

"You want me to switch to another position, like top lane or support?"

Halfway through his sentence, Su Mu noticed an unnatural glint in Liang Wenmei's eyes.

Is he trying to coax himself using the same methods he use to coax a little girl?

Save your breath. His inner soul is an ultimate veteran. What kind of big scenes and dark secrets hasn't he seen in the e-sports circle?

Both of my past experiences have taught me that the e-sports world is anything but pure, and naive and innocent people will only be devoured until nothing is left.

They just want me to sign the contract first, and then find some 'legitimate' reason during the adjustment period after joining the team, saying that I'm not suitable to play mid lane and must try to switch to another position.

If it works well, then it can be released first.

The results weren't good?

Ha, according to the contract rules, a substitute can be made, and then the water dispenser P will be stuck again.

To reiterate, those old tricks might fool naive young people, but they have no effect on her, not to mention her current prejudice against RT.

"Of course not. You have to understand that Youzi is older. She doesn't even have many games where she can win against you in the international server. If it's not a good fit, she'll be the one to switch roles." Liang Wenmei suppressed her chaotic thoughts and patiently persuaded her.

"is it?"

"Absolutely true!"

"Then I'll ask you one last question." Su Mu narrowed his eyes.

Liang Wenmei stiffened, hiding the wariness in her eyes, and cautiously said, "Go ahead."

What are RT's season plans and goals?

“…This…” Liang Wenmei paused, her eyes flashing rapidly.

Seeing her like that, Su Mu couldn't help but feel disappointed, though he sneered inwardly.

It's definitely the familiar Liang Wenmei, the familiar RT...

It's not that she doesn't accept the transition, but RT must be qualified for it.

As the team manager of a professional esports team, I can't just answer her question without thinking. Do I even need to guess the result?

Su Mu ignored Liang Wenmei's subsequent explanations, letting them go in one ear and out the other, not believing a word of them.

Having failed to persuade her with either soft or hard tactics, Liang Wenmei was completely at a loss when faced with the stubborn short-haired girl. She stood up angrily, uttered some harsh words, and left.

"You'll regret this. Even if you beg to come here later or are sold during the transfer window, RT will never want you!"

Su Mu didn't even glance at the other person, only giving a "goodbye" gesture.

Over the next two hours, she spoke in detail with the members of the eight teams. Bai Wei also came and sat quietly listening without offering any opinions.

Unfortunately, Su Mu still couldn't find a satisfactory team.

Another person has left.

"Mu Mu... I now fully understand why you said those things five days ago," Bai Wei said with deep emotion.

I understand why Mumu said that the e-sports circle is not as clean as the entertainment circle; it has long been impure and is full of various conflicts of interest.

"If I really end up having to go abroad to find a team, would you still be willing to go with me?" Su Mu asked with a smile.

"certainly…"

Bai Wei added another sentence in her mind.

I'd go to the ends of the earth.

Su Mu didn't have mind-reading abilities, so he naturally didn't know Bai Wei's thoughts. He smiled and turned to look at the woman who had knocked on the door and walked in, his eyes filled with scrutiny.

She was dressed in casual everyday clothes, and her overall demeanor appeared approachable.

According to the so-called basic physiognomy provided by the system, this person might be different from the previous ones.

Hello, may I ask your name?

"Liu Keke, Wild Dream Esports Club, WLD Team League of Legends division, where I serve as manager, I hope our conversation will be mutually satisfactory."

Liu Keke pulled out a chair and sat down. Seeing that Su Mu didn't seem inclined to speak, she decided to get straight to the point.

“WLD can sign two players as a package deal, guaranteeing them starting positions, and offer Ms. Su Mu an annual salary of seven million and Ms. Bai Wei a five million annual salary contract. The contract is for one year, and the treatment can be adjusted upwards based on the performance in the official league, but will never be downwards.”

Su Mu remained calm and did not rush to speak.

Wild Dreams, a club that can't be associated with the word "powerhouse," would be considered an average team by the standards of my past life, with seemingly limited financial resources.

Seeing that Su Mu's expression remained completely calm, Liu Ke sighed inwardly.

She knew that the price the club could offer was nowhere near that of the top teams, but this was the best she could negotiate.

"If you two are not satisfied, I can try to negotiate with the higher-ups..."

Bai Wei remained calm, turning her head to look at Su Mu.

To be honest, even if you threw five million into her savings account, it wouldn't make much of a splash. She doesn't care how much she can earn by playing professionally.

The only thing he cared about was whether Su Mu and he could avoid taking unnecessary detours on their journey to that peak.

They are looking for a team like that.

148. Join

Liu Keke crossed her fingers and placed them upright on the table, her gaze never leaving Su Mu.

The two stared at each other in silence.

Ten seconds passed, twenty seconds, half a minute... As time went by, a sense of loss gradually welled up in Liu Keke's eyes.

The short-haired girl in front of me had eyes like a calm lake, her gaze devoid of any arrogance, yet it subtly exerted a kind of pressure on me.

As expected, we were going to return empty-handed.

"Could you tell me about WLD's future plans and goals?" Su Mu suddenly asked.