Chapter 18: Playing Hard to Get — Abu’s Negotiation Tactics

Even without the system’s 90% win-rate requirement, Lu Zi’ang approached every ordinary match with utmost seriousness—once he entered the game, his focus was absolute.

At this moment, the match had already reached the 18-minute mark. The enemy team was utterly shattered and in complete disarray, while Lu Zi’ang had racked up nearly 20 kills.

He had secured a ten-game winning streak, with explosive K/D/A (kills/deaths/assists) stats every match.

The quality of the matchmaking was extremely high now; opponents were mostly platinum rank or higher, nearing diamond level.

In the national server, this would correspond to solid diamond or master tier players, who were considered top-tier gamers.

Their game sense, mechanics, laning, teamfighting, and ganking had all improved significantly.

Yet despite this, Lu Zi’ang’s victories were still as effortless as drinking water.

The skill gap remained vast, and viewers were thoroughly entertained. Lu Zi’ang's playstyle was ruthless yet imbued with a certain steadiness, leaving no chance for his opponents.

Throughout these ten matches, as the competition grew tougher, Lu Zi’ang faced more targeted attacks—double or triple ganks—but he always turned danger into opportunity with ease, sometimes even managing to counter-kill.

Having such a player in a match was already a nightmare for the opposing team. Meanwhile, beside Lu Zi’ang, Jello’s performance was equally outstanding.

The coordination between the two was seamless and fluid, like a smooth dance, creating a scene of pure elegance and beauty.

While Lu Zi’ang was immersed in his intense gameplay, in Abu’s office, negotiations were still underway.

Abu cleared his throat twice, clenching his fists.

He glanced at the computer screen showing Lu Zi’ang’s live stream and looked somewhat embarrassed. “Old Xu, just look at Zi’ang’s stream—20 million in popularity, 400,000 followers already…”

“His commercial value is right there in plain sight. I’m sure you see it yourself. Why not increase the offer a bit more?” Abu tapped the desk casually as he spoke.

He knew well that it was no coincidence for Shark Live to come knocking just a few hours after Lu Zi’ang began streaming. It already proved his immense value.

Abu felt confident; he didn’t want to overreach with an exorbitant demand, which might backfire. Instead, he preferred a slow and steady approach—after all, the longer Lu Zi’ang streamed, the better his stats would look.

Good stats meant stronger bargaining power.

Perhaps Wolf牙 Live would come chasing Lu Zi’ang next. When these two fierce rivals competed for the same talent, signing him would turn into a bidding war.

In such a scenario, Lu Zi’ang would be highly sought after, able to command a premium.

This was exactly the scenario Abu hoped for. Both Shark and Wolf牙 were flush with cash—they lacked nothing but talent.

Otherwise, the high-profile signing battle over Uzi wouldn’t have caused such a stir this year.

Reportedly, the competition over Uzi drove his contract price from nearly nine figures, eventually ending with Wolf牙 Live’s staggering 180 million yuan deal, earning the RNG club a huge windfall from the streaming contract sale.

“4 million? No more than that. Director Ji, if you’re straightforward, we can sign the contract now. After all, Lu Zi’ang is already streaming on our Shark platform. Everyone’s happy that way,” Director Xu gritted his teeth and said. He regretted reaching out first; now the initiative was entirely in EDG’s hands.

“Zi’ang’s choice to join EDG is a vote of confidence in us, and as EDG’s manager, I must fight to secure him greater benefits,” Abu shook his head calmly.

He knew the current offer wasn’t Shark’s bottom line. With the esports market booming these years, player commercial values were rising rapidly.

Trying to sign a rising star for only 4 million was wishful thinking.

Especially since Shark had approached them first. Initially proposing 500,000 yuan felt like an insult to Abu’s intelligence.

“Let me be frank, Director Ji,” Director Xu softened his tone, realizing that pushing for a higher price wouldn’t benefit Shark.

Watching this, the Factory Captain found the scene amusing, like haggling over vegetables at a market.

The live streaming contracts of EDG’s current players were all with Wolf牙 Live, with decent prices—especially for phenomenon-level players like the Factory Captain himself, though even he couldn’t compare to a rising star like Uzi.

Still, those contracts reached eight figures. In the Factory Captain’s eyes, if a newcomer like Lu Zi’ang could get a 5 million yuan live streaming contract, that would be excellent.

“How can I reveal our bottom line? You know EDG has a deep partnership with Wolf牙. Ideally, we should negotiate with Wolf牙 first. But since Lu Zi’ang just joined EDG today, it’s a bit rushed,” Abu said lightly.

His words implied that Shark came early and got a good deal. If Shark didn’t sign him, EDG could always negotiate with Wolf牙 later—no rush.

Director Xu understood perfectly. He gritted his teeth and finally offered Shark’s bottom price: “5 million yuan, that’s all. We can further discuss the contract details.”

“We’ve shown Shark Live’s sincerity. If your club has no intention to cooperate, then all we can say is it’s a pity,” Abu paused before responding, considering the offer was already quite fair for just a one-year contract.

Five million yuan, after taxes and a 15% cut, was astronomical for a newcomer like Lu Zi’ang.

He was about to agree.

Just then, the office door was abruptly knocked on, and someone outside said,

“Director Ji, Wolf牙 Live’s Director Zhou wants to see you. There’s an urgent matter to discuss.”

“Let them in,” Abu said with an unreadable expression. He had a strong premonition—if they were here for Lu Zi’ang as well, things were about to get interesting.

“???”

“Director Ji, what’s this?”

“Nothing serious, just a chat to exchange industry insights.”

“But we’re in the middle of business negotiations! How can we let our competitor from Shark Live join in?” Director Xu stood up excitedly. “This seems to breach business ethics!”

“Our contract isn’t finalized yet. Besides, Director Zhou might just be here to catch up,” Abu laughed, feeling in high spirits.

Nearby, the Factory Captain quietly reminded, “Zi’ang’s stream followers just surpassed 500,000…”

“Ah, really? So fast! He’s been streaming for five hours, averaging over 100,000 new followers an hour. Impressive—young talent indeed. That was about your pace when you debuted, right?” Abu teased.

Director Xu watched them banter, his eye twitching. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Wolf牙’s timing was too coincidental. A sense of foreboding slowly crept over him.

…