Chapter 53: I'll Just Say a Few Words!

"Brother Ming, can we get a couple more sets of team uniforms?"

After admiring it from every angle and growing thoroughly fond of the attire, Stone scratched the back of his head and asked with an embarrassed smile.

He figured he wouldn't even need to spend extra money on clothes anymore; he could easily wear this team uniform for an entire year.

"Of course you'll get more. What you have in your hands right now are just sample pieces. You can't wash and wear just a single set, can you?"

Facts proved that putting extra effort into the design of the team uniforms was the right call.

If the players who had to wear them in actual matches thought they looked cheap and unappealing, how could they possibly sell hundreds or thousands of sets to the fans?

From the very beginning of opening their online store, Jiang Ming hadn't been narrow-minded like some rival streamers who passed off inferior goods as quality items, selling shirts that cost eighteen yuan to manufacture for over a hundred.

The true source of profit—massive profit—would be these very team uniforms the players were holding, destined to become the club's official merchandise.

By using decent materials and putting genuine effort into the design, clothing with a production cost of just a few dozen yuan could be sold for hundreds or even thousands once imbued with the prestige of team merchandise.

The ideal scenario was for fans to happily and willingly pay for their goods while convincing themselves they had gotten a bargain.

"You all have a half-day break today. Feel free to go out and stroll around. There's a commercial street right next door; just be back before dinner," Jiang Ming said with a smile. "Of course, if you prefer to eat outside, I don't mind either."

"You got it!"

"We guarantee we'll be back before dinner."

Pang Ran chuckled. "Who's going to skip instant-boiled mutton to eat street food outside? Only a fool would do that."

"Oh, and one more thing: get to sleep early tonight. Later, each of you go find Sister Lin to collect a bottle of facial cleanser. Tomorrow, I expect everyone to clean themselves up from top to bottom, inside and out."

Jiang Ming spoke with a serious expression. When it came to matters of business, he preferred to lay everything out at once.

Otherwise, if he waited until mealtime to assign tasks, it would inevitably dampen the team members' appetites.

...

That evening, in the NXG team cafeteria.

The cook had set up two induction burners, one holding a mild clear soup base and the other a spicy Sichuan broth.

"Those who can handle spice, sit at the spicy hotpot table. Those who can't, go to the next table over," Lin Jingyi called out.

Even Jiang Ming, who usually considered himself quite capable of handling spicy food, had to gracefully concede defeat in the presence of his senior schoolmate—a quintessential fierce beauty from Sichuan and Chongqing.

Aside from the hotpot, a large cup filled to the brim with cola or Sprite sat in front of each person.

"Come on, to NXG's promotion to the LPL, cheers!"

"Cheers!" echoed in unison.

"Ahem, let me just say a few brief words."

With the mood set and his throat suddenly feeling a bit ticklish, Jiang Ming unconsciously slipped into the preaching leadership demeanor he used to detest the most.

Ah, the classic "just a few words."

Indeed, dragon slayers ultimately transform into dragons themselves.

"First of all, remain humble and focused. Reaching the LPL is only the beginning for you and for NXG."

"Going forward, we must do our utmost to win every single match, claim the league championship, and ultimately take the world championship."

—or rather, it definitely will be. It will be so grueling that some of you might even quit halfway."

"But please believe me, the future of e-sports is far brighter than you can possibly imagine."

As an emerging industry in the country with imperfect regulations, e-sports suffered from management chaos across many teams.

He didn't want the young men he had worked so hard to cultivate to be corrupted by this toxic environment.

"We'll work hard!"

"Our target is the championship, after all."

"Quit halfway? Absolutely impossible. Hehe, Brother Ming, you better have the bonuses ready ahead of time instead."

"Grinding is all it takes! We don't have much else, but we've got plenty of stamina."

"All right, let's eat!"

He said a few words, and that was it—zero unnecessary rambling.

Jiang Ming didn't expect them to fully understand the reasoning behind his words right now. After all, considering they were living in the S3 era with basic monthly salaries of two to three thousand yuan, telling them that just a few years later a single e-sports club spot would be worth hundreds of millions, and any popular player with skill could command a million-yuan annual salary, was simply too far-fetched to comprehend.

...

The night passed quietly.

The next morning at nine-thirty, Uncle Zhou, who was temporarily moonlighting as the team manager, knocked on the players' doors one by one.

"Coming, coming!"

"Uncle Zhou, we're all up."

Inside the rooms, the sound of running water from the sinks mingled with the players' replies.

The youngsters, already dressed in their team uniforms, were vigorously scrubbing the oily sheen off their faces using the facial cleansers they had received the previous night.

Makeup, photo shoots, promotional posters—these were scenarios they had never even imagined in their wildest dreams.

It carried an aura of absolute coolness!

Following Sister Lin's instructions, they washed their faces with a basin of warm water instead of splashing cold water directly on themselves. Once all the grime accumulated from long hours of computer training and frequent late nights was washed away, Pang Ran felt thoroughly refreshed.

"Old Xu, I'm heading downstairs first. Sister Lin said in the group chat that whoever finishes first gets their makeup done first." After folding his quilt neatly on the bed, Pang Ran called out to Xu Jing, who was still wrestling with a toothbrush.

"Mmph… go ahead… I'll be right behind you."

Donning his jacket and breaking out a brand-new pair of socks for the occasion, Pang Ran trotted all the way downstairs.

"Pang Ran, hold on a second. Stone will be a little longer. There's rice noodles in the kitchen; add your own seasonings and scoop some broth into a bowl to eat," Lin Jingyi said, spotting Pang Ran as he came down from the second floor. "The shoot is going to take quite a while today, so be careful when you eat. There's an apron hanging on the wall—don't spill soup on your clothes."

Faced with Lin Jingyi, who had seamlessly stepped into the role of a meticulous club manager fussing over every little detail, Pang Ran scratched his head. Any curiosity he had about what Stone actually looked like after getting made up instantly vanished. Sister Lin's tone of voice felt... well, it felt entirely like his own mother's.

Better not mess with her!

Meanwhile, in the training room, Shi Zhenyu was sitting in a chair, enduring the makeup artist's various adjustments.

"The kid's got pretty good facial features. Remember to wash your face with facial cleanser before bed from now on; it helps prevent oily skin caused by prolonged computer use."

"Thank you."

The makeup artist inspected her handiwork with keen interest and said, "What's to thank? Being able to expand into a brand-new makeup domain makes me quite happy. Before today, I'd never put makeup on an e-sports player."

"We need to avoid the issue of them looking completely different under studio lighting. Hmm... in a way, the makeup requirements for e-sports players are pretty much the same as those for celebrities."

"The base makeup needs to offer high coverage while feeling lightweight, and it has to have decent longevity. We'll emphasize the eye makeup. Should we add a touch of contour and blush, I wonder?"

Who knows how much time passed before Pang Ran, having finished his bowl of rice noodles, returned from the kitchen to the training room.

Shi Zhenyu was finally granted an amnesty by the makeup artist: "All right, it's done. Bring in the next one."

"Oh! Not bad at all! Who knew that once you've had makeup done, Stone, you'd actually look like a rugged leading man?"

Pang Ran's eyes lit up. He hurriedly sat down in the chair vacated by the makeup artist, his heart filled with anticipation for his own upcoming transformation.