By 12.30 PM, Pei Qian had finished eating and arrived at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s Esports Live Museum. All the way, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
“It seems like Xiao Peng wants to be eliminated by the first-place elimination system. In the past, all the heads had caused trouble secretly, and yet he dared to inform me about it!
“That wasn’t even it. He also altered the timing and just informed me two hours in advance!
“Was he afraid that I would react too quickly, and he would not be able to hit me?
“I’ll make sure you win the Most Outstanding Employee Award the next time so that you can accompany Zhang Yuan! Both of you can spend the rest of your days watching young, internet addicts building muscles!”
When he arrived at the fourth story of the shopping mall, Pei Qian still hadn’t calmed down.
It was mainly because he had expended a lot of effort extracting this information from the Management Trainee. After that, he had analyzed a lot based on the report and then immediately found an answer. Yet, Xiao Peng invited him in the end.
He felt like an investigator who had cracked a case. Yet, at the final step, the culprit quit the game and turned himself in to the police! Even the audience had dispersed. No one was there to listen to his final hypothesis.
Who wouldn’t be infuriated?!
That was exactly how Pei Qian felt now.
However, the moment he walked through the fourth story, his fury turned into shock. Why were there so many people?!
Why were there so many people?! There was a crowd on the fourth story. Many staff wearing Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s uniforms were maintaining order. The customers with invites were allowed in, but those that had not were only allowed to remain outside.
After all, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s capacity was limited. They could not possibly all enter at once.
Still, those standing outside did not seem to mind. Instead, they bought snacks, drinks, and ice-cream from adjacent dessert and snacks stores and ate as they chatted. It was like they were waiting for a movie to start.
Through the crowd, Xiao Peng spotted Boss Pei.
He immediately approached Boss Pei and whispered, “Boss Pei! Please, come in. Put this on.”
Pei Qian: “?”
Xiao Peng shoved something into Boss Pei’s hand. On closer inspection, Pei Qian realized it was a custom-made mask that had Modest’s features on it.
Pei Qian: “…” What the h*ll was this?! Wasn’t this supposed to be Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 3.0’s opening ceremony? Why do I have to wear a mask?!
Why have you turned this into a masked ball?!
Xiao Peng said in a low voice, “Boss Pei, I know you don’t want to reveal your identity, and so I made this a themed mask event. If you want to make a speech later, you can do so. Otherwise, you don’t have to.”
Pei Qian immediately put the mask on and said, “I won’t make a speech.”
That looked like Xiao Peng was quite thoughtful. He had been afraid that Boss Pei’s identity would be exposed, and so he purposely made everyone enter looking differently, with masks of different heroes.
Boss Pei’s mask… had to be that of Modest.
It was no wonder that he had spent so long planning for a simple opening ceremony. “Alright, Boss Pei. Please come with me.”
Xiao Peng led Boss Pei in, feeling emotional. Indeed, Boss Pei wouldn’t give a speech, so that he could judge Xiao Peng’s public speaking skills.
I must give a good speech, or I would be embarrassing Boss Pei.
As Pei Qian walked through the door, he saw a massive crowd. He began studying his surroundings.
His first thought was ‘this is f*cking cool!’
It was Pei Qian’s first time in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 3.0. Before this, he had requested for Xiao Peng to look for an expensive, beautifully-renovated, and spacious location. Thus, Pei Qian had already mentally prepared himself for a fancy-looking internet cafe.
However, upon stepping in, Pei Qian’s heart still thudded.
This was a bit too cool, wasn’t it?
In addition to how crowded the place looked, Pei Qian was beginning to panic.
“Come, Boss Pei. You can sit here.” Xiao Peng pointed out a seat in the first row in the resting area.
Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 3.0’s resting area was not huge, but it was not small either. There was a bar selling drinks, and there was enough space for teams to discuss their battle strategy here.
They were an hour away from the official start time of the event. Thus, the resting area was still empty.
“No, I want to sit right at the back.”
Pei Qian shook his head and walked right through the seats, up the steps, and towards the corner of the last row.
When designing this rest area, they had considered that people would want to observe the competition while resting. Thus, the rows were designed to be on steps so that the last row would be elevated.
Pei Qian felt like he would be at the center of attention if he sat in the first row. It would be too dangerous. On the other hand, sitting right behind would keep him away from the spotlight, and so it would be safer.
Of course, Xiao Peng did not say much. He understood Boss Pei’s mindset very well. The latter could be likened to a class monitor who could pay attention even if he was placed at the back of the class.
Xiao Peng walked towards Boss Pei, bent down, and whispered, “Alright, get some rest, Boss Pei. I’ll ask the waiter to serve you a drink later. The opening ceremony will start at 1 PM sharp.”
With that, Xiao Peng went about his own business.
The waiter pierced through the crowd and served drinks to the guests non-stop. Soon, he approached Pei Qian.
Pei Qian took the drink and asked a question on a whim. “You didn’t serve drinks to those standing outside?” The waiter was stunned. “Boss Pei, we… were not the ones who invited the people outside. They’re only here because they heard about the news. That’s why we didn’t prepare any drinks for them.”
Pei Qian waved his hand. “Give them drinks. Give all of them drinks.”
The waiter was stunned. “All of them?”
Pei Qian nodded. “Yes. No matter how many people there are out there, give them all drinks!”
Although it would not cost Pei Qian that much to distribute drinks to everyone, he figured that he could make all of them share his burdens since they were already there!
Boss Pei would never give up an opportunity to spend more money!
The waiter nodded. “Alright, I’ll make arrangements at once.”
Pei Qian pondered for a moment and pulled the waiter back. “Where’s the nearest furniture store from here? Get someone to buy the most expensive foldable chairs! They have all made such long trips down. How could we allow them to stand? Give them seats!
“Request for delivery. The sooner they arrive, the better.”
After regaining his composure, the waiter nodded profusely. “Alright, Boss Pei!”
Pei Qian had to spend the money anyway. There were so many people outside, and there was so much space. He guessed that there wouldn’t be any problems with buying and setting up tens of foldable chairs.
Even if each chair cost seventy to eighty yuan, Boss Pei would at least be able to spend a few thousand yuan.
In any case, the chairs would become useless after being used just once. It’ll be a waste for Pei Qian to let this opportunity slip past him.
The waiter walked briskly to Xiao Peng, leaned in, and informed him of what Boss Pei had instructed him to do.
Xiao Peng was stunned, but he nodded once he recovered. “Yes, Boss Pei has it all figured out! I’m at fault for not having expected so many visitors.
“Alright, call all the employees from internet cafes near furniture shops. Get them to settle this and send the chairs over as soon as possible!”
Pei Qian sipped his drink and observed the situation.
It was obvious that everyone attending the opening ceremony had been specially invited over. The standard to hit in order to be invited was not hard to guess either. They were probably old customers of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
The resting area slowly filled up. Obviously, the people seated there were being shown more hospitality. There was even a camera crew taking photos and videos. Three cameras seemed like such a waste.
As he sipped his cool drink, Pei Qian slowly calmed down.
“Yes, this crowd might be an illusion. Xiao Peng might have created this. Everyone came here from different parts of Jingzhou to watch the opening ceremony, only because Xiao Peng had invited them.
“Ordinarily, people who only wanted to surf the net would not bother traveling so far. What’s more, the other Fish-Catching Internet Cafes were cheaper than Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 3.0. The system units were all the same. There was no special reason to come here…
“No, that seems too ridiculous…”
No matter how Pei Qian looked at the situation, he could not convince himself. All he could do was remain silent as he sipped his drink and observed the situation.
Soon, it was 1 PM.
Everyone present took their seats until the hall was almost filled. However, in the area facing the left of the sound-proof room, there were training rooms in a V-formation. None of those seats were taken.
The other people seated in the resting area like Boss Pei were obviously distinguished guests. However, all of them were wearing masks, and Pei Qian could not tell who was who.
Although people in the first row of the resting area seemed to be exchanging name cards, Pei Qian showed no interest.
At last, Xiao Peng picked up a microphone and walked to the front. Behind him was the sound-proof room, which was half-red and half-blue. The projector screen was already down, and a slideshow was displayed on it. Xiao Peng cleared his throat. Soon, everyone quieted down.
“Welcome to the opening ceremony of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s first Esports live museum, everyone. I am the CEO of Tengda Corporation’s Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
“On behalf of Boss Pei of Tengda Corporation, I want to express my genuine thanks to old and new customers of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, as well as friends of the media who have traveled all the way to be here!
“Today, at the opening ceremony, I don’t just want to announce the opening of a new Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. In fact, there’s a greater significance behind this event.
“Next, please allow me to give everyone some insight and predict the incoming Great Esports Ecosystem!”
There was a round of applause as Xiao Peng spoke.
Some ‘distinguished guests’ in the resting area began discussing in hushed tones.
“The Great Esports Ecosystem? That sounds impressive.”
“Fish-Catching Internet Cafe has been ahead in this area. I guess they’re going to be the next big thing in the internet cafe industry.”
“It’s not just Fish-Catching Internet Cafe; which of Tengda Corporation’s businesses are not ahead of the game?”
“Quickly, listen closely. For all we know, this might be the next step in the plan that Boss Pei has for Tengda Corporation.”
In the corner, Pei Qian’s mind was filled with question marks. “???!”
The Great Esports Ecosystem?
What the h*ll was that?!
Xiao Peng, Xiao Peng… I have never told you anything like that. Don’t put words into my mouth! If everyone ends up misunderstanding me, I will hold you responsible!
Xiao Peng calmly clicked his remote control and displayed the next slide in the slideshow.
“First of all, I want to make clear that everything I have to say about the Great Esports Ecosystem is my personal view on the future Esports industry and the direction that the internet cafe industry is headed in. It does not represent Tengda Corporation’s stand whatsoever.”
Pei Qian heaved a huge sigh. Good. I’m seated right here. Of course, Xiao Peng would not dare to put words into my mouth.
However, two minutes later, Pei Qian sensed that something was amiss.
On the surface, those words seemed to clarify what Xiao Peng was about to say. However, it sounded completely ordinary to the audience. No one took it seriously.
In fact, everyone seemed to ignore that sentence.
Two people in the first row of the resting area began whispering. “He can’t expose everything. I understand, I understand.”
“Yes, no one can guarantee 100% accuracy when predicting the future industry model. There’s no harm in being careful.
“Still, he is the head of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and someone who can speak directly to Boss Pei. That means at least a portion of his predictions probably came from Boss Pei. It’s worth listening.” Pei Qian gripped the cup in his hands a bit tighter. “What the h*li…?”