However, the agenda for IOI’s global finals had changed. FV Team represented not only the domestic IOI E-Sports circle but also Tengda Corporation.
In other words, Tengda Corporation’s designers and stats analysts were using IOI’s global finals as a battlefield. They had a silent showdown with the designers and the entire team!
Therefore, Finger Games could not lose.
However, as the organizer, Finger Games could not play any tricks. Two may keep counsel putting one away. If they were discovered to be playing tricks, it would be a super scandal that would shock the entire world. Not only would it turn the fairness of the global finals into a joke, but it would also cause Finger Games and Dayak Corporation to lose their reputation.
This became a dilemma.
He would definitely be hurt if he did not give a damn. If he did, there would be a chance of survival but it would also be accompanied by huge risks. A single mistake would be worse than not caring.
This was a difficult decision from Finger Games’ perspective.
However, there were other considerations for Chrétien as well.
If FV Team won the championship, the popularity of the global finals would be earned by FV and Tengda. Then, as the person in charge of this series of decisions, Chrétien would definitely be removed by the higher-ups.
At the very least, FV team had to be stopped at the runner-up position. Finger Games would then be able to save face, and the efforts for global finals would not be wasted. Only then could Chrétien protect his position.
Thus, Chrétien did not have much choice from his own perspective.
Chrétien did not dare to be negligent when it came to his position as the person-in-charge of the China region. After much consideration, he lowered his voice and said, “What you said makes sense. I will search for two Balancers in the company to analyze FV team’s tactical playstyle, summarize the game’s data in the new version, and hand it to FRY battleteam to privately provide them with tactical support.”
“We cannot let FV Team win no matter what!”
Chrétien felt that he had to take the risk after much consideration.
As long as he found two Balancers who knew the game well and came to an agreement with FRY team, this news would probably not spread.
As long as the outside world did not know about it, there should be no problem.
There was only one week left until the finals. There was not much time left for FRY team to prepare.
Chrétien suddenly thought of something and looked at Zhao Xuming. “Can you get some information from FV Team?”
Obviously, the strategy of sending two Balancers might not work.
Finger Games’ official statistician might have a better understanding of data and games than ordinary people, but he might not be able to combine data and tactics well.
From data to tactics, a lot of details had to be added during this period. What’s more, players had to consider their playstyle habits, proficiency in key heroes, and so on.
Thus, Chrétien felt that he would be more confident if he could obtain some information on FV Team.
Zhao Xuming had a bitter expression on his face. “I can’t get it no matter whether through a hard or soft approach.”
“I have already fallen out with FV’s boss, Wu Yue, before I left the country. If I tried to get close to him now, I would definitely be suspected; it would be even more impossible for me to spy on him. That group of people hired four bodyguards and usually trained on the second floor of an internet cafe. They booked the entire place for sparring and would not leak any information.”
“This group of people is like a metal bucket. We are not able to penetrate them at all. They won’t even fight Rank. The outside world doesn’t even know what heroes FV team members have been practicing recently.”
After some thought, Cretian asked, “I heard that FV Team is playing mock competitions with SUG Team. Don’t you know the boss of SUG Team, Ding Gan? Can you think of a way to obtain some information from there?”
Zhao Xuming’s expression became even more awkward. “This… I’m afraid he won’t be nice to me now.”
Zhao Xuming knew his limits.
Before this, he had promised SUG that they would definitely have a spot in the international competition. In the end, FV team appeared out of nowhere and snatched the spot away. Zhao Xuming felt that Ding Gan and SUG team did not have much value anymore, so he ignored him. Ding Gan must be feeling slighted by this.
However, Boss Pei had paid for SUG to come to Los Angeles out of his own pockets. It was obvious that Ding Gan was on Boss Pei’s side seeing Ding Gan and Wu Yue chatting happily at the airport.
Would Ding Gan give Zhao Xuming a good attitude now, if he were to look for Ding Gan so hypocritically now?
Ding Gan would probably turn around and tell Boss Pei and Wu Yue about this, making FV battle team even more vigilant.
Of course, Ding Gan was only the boss of a club. He might not dare to fall out with Zhao Xuming, so he might appear polite on the surface, but it was hard to say what he would do behind the scenes.
Zhao Xuming had no confidence in this.
“What’s wrong with you?! Why did you fall out with those who are slightly useful? We can’t count on you for anything!” Chrétien exclaimed a little angrily.
Zhao Xuming was very angry, he opened his mouth but could not refute.
Indeed, if Zhao Xuming had treated Ding Gan better, or if he had not chosen to leave FV Team behind, the situation would have been different.
However, Zhao Xuming could not predict the future. How could he have thought of such a situation!
One wrong move and everything cascaded. The seemingly insignificant decision that he had made in a moment of anger and hot-headedness had very serious consequences now.
Chrétien could not say much either, he could only sigh. “In that case, forget it. I hope that FRY can stop FV.”
…
…
January 16th, Monday…
Pei Qian woke up as usual and went to the office to check on the various businesses. At the same time, he thought about where he should start his spending plan.
Pei Qian knew nothing about the schemes brewing in Los Angeles.
Pei Qian had strategically given up on them after seeing FV3: 0 win the competition last weekend.
His classmates had all gone home for the winter break after the exam week ended. Pei Qian could not help but feel melancholic at the thought of having to spend so much money.
Two minutes later, someone knocked on the door.
“Boss Pei, the Street Food Contest that I mentioned to you before is starting this afternoon. Do you have any instructions?” He Desheng reminded him.
Pei Qian was stunned. “This afternoon?”
He Desheng nodded. “That’s right. This afternoon. Oh, I didn’t set the time. Meng Chang’s original plan was for this afternoon. Perhaps it’s because he was planning to record the broadcast. Boss Pei, if you don’t think it’s appropriate, you can postpone it until the weekend.”
Pei Qian raised his hand. “No, today is good. We’ll hold it as planned.”
Previously, He Desheng had told Pei Qian that there would be a local Street Food Contest. Pei Qian had thought that it would be during the weekend.
Competitions like these had to be popular and there would be more people during the weekend after all.
However, Meng Chang’s original idea was not to live-stream but to record the event.
That was because Meng Chang’s main purpose for organizing this competition was to get food vendors from all over the country to become a conduit for the cold-faced lady.
The show first introduced how delicious the local food was, how unique it was, and then highlighted how outstanding the cold-faced lady’s taste was. It completely surpassed the best vendors in the country.
It would be easy for accidents to happen during live-streaming. It would be much easier to control the recording. If th
ere were any emergencies, they could just cut the scene and re-shoot.
After editing the video, Meng Chang would spend a huge sum of money to advertise on Aili Island and other video websites to further increase the Cold-Faced Lady’s reputation.
This would have been a very effective marketing campaign before the Cold-Faced Lady collapsed.
While some people doubted that the Cold-Faced Lady’s roasted cold noodles were not as good as what Meng Chang’s bragged about but the overall taste was not that bad. Therefore, the question of whether the Cold-Faced Lady tasted good depended on the individual.
Under such circumstances, marketing could be used to guide public opinion.
It was just like many food and beverage brands. Many customers would choose to try them as long as they had good marketing and everyone said that they were delicious .
However, the situation was completely different now that the cold-faced lady had experienced the previous bankruptcy storm.
The public opinion generated by excessive marketing had completely reversed. Most people would tend to trample on it until it was worthless. No matter how good the cold noodles tasted, they would find it disgusting.
He Desheng was about to leave when Pei Qian stopped him.
“Wait a minute, you just said that the Street Food Contest will be recorded?”
He Desheng nodded. “It will be recorded mainly because we are worried that something unexpected might happen during the live-stream.”
“According to Meng Chang’s original plan, the judges have already hinted that the Cold-Faced Lady’s Cold-Faced Noodles must be first in the final evaluation of taste.”
Pei Qian frowned. “How can that work!”
“Change the recording to live-stream.”
“Also, let the judges know that the reviews must be realistic. Don’t give the cold-faced lady any face!”
“The other dishes are all local delicacies. Cold-Faced Lady has already benefited from the industrialization of fast food and should be stricter in terms of taste.”
“When the time comes, criticize Cold-Faced Lady’s Cold-Faced Noodles harshly. They must point out any problems strictly. Don’t show mercy!”
He Desheng was stunned for a moment but did not ask further. “Alright, Boss Pei. I’ll call the person-in-charge and ask him to do as you say.”
Pei Qian’s two requests did not conflict with the entire process of the food competition. It was easy to change them as long as he spoke to the judges.
The competition venue for the Street Food Contest this time was in a luxury hotel in Beijing. Meng Chang’s original intention should be to elevate the competition’s style as much as possible so that it would better accentuate the mid to high-end brand of the Cold-Faced Lady.
Cold-Faced Lady might be fast food, but in Meng Chang’s imagination, it was mainly targeted at small investors and white-collar workers. Therefore, it had to have a certain style and make a clear difference from ordinary cold noodles that were roasted at roadside stalls.
Cold-Faced Lady organized a Street Food Contest in a luxury hotel and the roasted cold noodles would prevail in the end.
It sounded like a hot topic, and it would have their own traffic.
Pei Qian could not be bothered to make a trip to Beijing for this. Thus, he decided not to go this time. He would just watch the live-stream in Jingzhou.
To be honest, this Street Food Contest Was quite interesting. Perhaps it could generate some popularity.
However, Pei Qian did not panic at all.
He had told the judges to directly criticize the Cold-Faced Lady’s Cold-Faced Noodles harshly, making its already bad reputation even worse! He would let everyone know that the Cold-Faced Lady’s Cold-Faced Noodles were not that delicious!
That way, everyone would despise the Cold-Faced Lady even more. No one would go to the Cold-Faced Lady’s shop to spend money. As time passed, this brand could only burn money…
Wouldn’t that make things better?
Chapter 822 - Street Food Contest
At around 1 PM, in a luxurious hotel in Beijing…
Qi Yan had just finished telling the staff at the venue about the event changing from being recorded to becoming a live-stream. She had also instructed the judges to ‘strictly evaluate the Cold-Faced Lady’.
The sudden changes made Qi Yan a little flustered. Fortunately, these two changes were not fatal. Thus, the event continued as per normal after taking the time to explain.
Qi Yan was originally the person-in-charge of Cold-Faced Lady’s marketing department. Her job was to follow Meng Chang’s requirements and be in charge of the Cold-Faced Lady’s various marketing tasks.
After the incident with the Cold-Faced Lady, Qi Yan, like the other employees, was at a loss for a period of time.
Meng Chang was already in a terrible fix. Of course, he had no time to bother about her. Qi Yan had been looking for a job for a few days and had yet to figure out where to go. In the end, there was good news: her job was saved!
Now that Tengda had acquired the Cold-Faced Lady, the delayed salary could be paid as usual. Her work could continue as usual!
Qi Yan was both happy and worried at the same time.
She was happy that she did not have to look for a job anymore. Meng Chang was pretty very generous when it came to his employees’ salary. Qi Yan was worried that she might not be able to get her current salary from another company.
However, she was most worried that her career would be affected.
Qi Yan came to the Cold-Faced Lady previously partly because she was attracted by Meng Chang, the “perfect entrepreneur”, and felt that she could learn something from Meng Chang. On the other hand, she was optimistic about the Cold-Faced Lady’s future prospects.
However, not only had the cold-faced lady turned cold, it’s reputation was now so bad that everyone knew about it.
Everyone knew that the Cold-Faced Lady was an unreliable project now. It was hard to say if this experience would be a plus or minus if Qi Yan really worked hard at the Cold-Faced Lady for three to five years and before she jumped ship.
Qi Yan was conflicted. However, she decided to wait and see after hearing that Tengda was the new owner.
Tengda was huge and had a ridiculously good reputation after all. It was trustworthy.
Meng Chang had nothing to do with the Cold-Faced Lady anymore, so He Desheng handed all the matters regarding the Cold-Faced Lady to Qi Yan. Qi Yan would report to He Desheng, and then He Desheng would report to Boss Pei.
The current Cold-Faced Lady was just an ordinary fast food restaurant. What’s more, its business and reputation were not that good. It was impossible for her to report to Boss Pei directly.
Qi Yan’s first big job was this Street Food Contest after the change of owners.
All the marketing activities had been canceled except for this one.
Qi Yan did not know why exactly but she still followed the original plan.
The preparatory work had actually started a long time ago. Some professionals had gone to various cities in the country to search for food vendors with better reputations. They had paid to invite them to the capital to participate in this competition. At the same time, they had also invited several gourmet chefs with good taste to be judges.
The competition was about to start.
Qi Yan took out her phone and looked at the live-stream.
There were just a few pathetic bullet screen comments, it was not that popular at all.
That was to be expected.
It was too rushed to change to a live-stream. Qi Yan had urgently asked the live-stream platform for resources and locations. However, the recommendation spots were all pre-arranged to be given to others. They could not get good recommendation spots, only ordinary spots.
What’s more, it was Monday afternoon. The live-stream platform’s traffic was low to begin with, so no one was watching.
Qi Yan sighed melancholically.
She had planne
d to spend a huge sum of money on Aili Island’s rankings after editing the event. However, it had been changed to live-streaming with no recommendations. Would it become popular?
If it did not become popular, what was the point of this Street Food Contest? Wouldn’t all the money be wasted?
However, it was useless to worry now. She could only let nature take its course.
…
The Street Food Contest officially began at 2PM!
The male and female hosts came to the camera and began to introduce the organizers, guests, and the specific rules of the competition to the audience.
There were dozens of live audience members apart from a few guests who were good tasters. The live audiences would also taste the food from the stalls and vote.
Guests could comment on it and the weight of their ratings would be higher. The judges and audience would add their ratings together to calculate the total score. The winner of the Street Food Contest would be chosen according to the total score.
The first batch of food vendors had already been prepared behind the emcee. They were of different genders and ages. However, all of them were holding their heads high with stern expressions.
Behind them were snack stalls carts. The first round of competition was the “pancake group”. All the vendors sold good pancakes.
Each stall owner had a serial number. They would make many pancakes in a row and then cut them into small pieces for the judges and audience to taste. Those with higher scores would win.
There were other local snacks after the pancake review.
For example: scallion pancakes, grilled squid, roasted gluten, bean jelly noodles, teppanyaki tofu, Roujiamo, roasted cold noodles, etc.
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